Severed Human Head In Oakland Backyard May Be Linked To Headless Corpse
OAKLAND (AP/CBS SF) -- Police were investigating whether a decaying human head found in an Oakland backyard belongs to a recently discovered headless corpse.
Oakland Sgt. Michael Cardoza says two people visiting an Oakland apartment complex found the head last week in the grassless yard with a couple of trees and took it to a police station.
Cardoza says homicide detectives interviewed all the residents of the three-apartment building and that it didn't appear they were involved.
Investigators are trying to determine if the head is linked to a decapitated body found in "close proximity" on September 29.
According to Alameda County Sheriff's Department, a torso in a similar state of decomposition and mummification was found in the 2800 block of Martin Luther King Street.
According to investigators, the head was found in an area of the backyard residents don't frequent.
Both cases are being investigated as suspicious deaths, but sheriff's deputies believe the person may have been "a transient who was forgotten about."
The skull showed no signs of foul play or that it was violently detached from the body. Another theory is that an animal may have moved the skull.
Investigators will rely on DNA testing to see if the body parts match.
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