Photos for sale: Dog walker with head she found
The Los Angeles coroner's office has identified a 66-year old Hollywood man as the victim whose head, feet and hands turned up in a wooded but heavily-hiked canyon in the Hollywood Hills this week, near the world-famous Hollywood sign.
Authorities say the victim was Hervey Medellin, a former Mexicana Airlines employee who lived in the area for some time.
Police are withholding any more details as they continue to hunt for his killer, but say they found him by searching missing persons reports and speaking with his friends.
Police have wrapped up their search of the canyon and re-opened it to the public.
Thursday night, detectives searched a Hollywood apartment complex where the victim lived with a male companion. Police questioned but did not arrest the companion who reported the victim missing on January 6. They also towed a car away from the property to comb it for forensic clues.
And now, photos of the woman who found the head on Tuesday posing with it are being shopped around to tabloid internet outlets. The offers come from a Hollywood photo agency that usually deals in celebrity paparazzi pictures, and it's unclear from whom or how it acquired them. The asking price: $5,000. No takers just yet.
For John Miller's report, and perspective on the case from criminologist Casey Jordan, including her thoughts on speculation the murder may be tied to a Mexican drug cartel, click on the video above.
