Fingerprints taken from severed hands could help identify the man whose head was found in a park near the famous "Hollywood" sign, where dozens of investigators continued the search Thursday for more body parts.
Searchers, using the coroner's cadaver dog, have located two hands and two feet scattered across seven acres of brushy and steep terrain, police said.
The secluded trails, adjacent to Griffith Park, are a favorite place for residents, including many celebrities, to walk their dogs or hike.
The real-life Hollywood mystery began Tuesday afternoon when two people noticed their dogs dragging a plastic grocery bag from a bush near a dirt trail, police said. The women were shocked when they realized a severed head was inside.
The head is that of a man between 40 and 60 years old, with salt-and-pepper-colored hair, Los Angeles County Deputy Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Wednesday.
Wednesday morning's search located first one hand, about 50 yards from where the head was found. "We're hoping that we can find more remains," Los Angeles Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said at the time.
Another hand and then two feet were found just before waning daylight forced an end to Wednesday's search, Los Angeles Police Officer Cleon Joseph said.
Detectives estimated the man had been dead since about Sunday, but there were few clues about where and how he died, or why his head was left in a public park.
The hands offer hope of a quicker identification for the body parts, since investigators now have fingerprints. Police are checking recent missing-person reports for leads, Winter said.
Investigators "have every reason to believe" the hands, feet and head belonged to the same person, Smith said.
The coroner's cadaver dog, who Smith said became exhausted at times Wednesday, was back on the trail after Thursday's sunrise sniffing for more pieces of the mystery victim, Winter said.
It is possible an animal may have dragged the body parts from where they were initially placed, Smith said. Wild coyotes roam the neighborhood.
At least 30 Los Angeles police officers, a dozen coroner's investigators, helicopters, a SWAT team trained in climbing skills and mounted officers were searching a seven-acre section of Bronson Canyon, next to Griffith Park, Smith said.
