Body of a Man Is Discovered at Remote Topanga Cul-De-Sac

TOPANGA CANYON — A woman walking her dog discovered a body on a rocky embankment 6 feet off North Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Sheriff’s investigators suspect that the 27-year-old man was killed and dumped at the remote cul-de-sac less than 24 hours before his body was discovered Wednesday night.

“It doesn’t appear that he fell over and bumped his head,” said Sgt. Dirk Edmundson. The man was wearing cold-weather sports attire over jeans and a dress shirt, Edmundson said. He was also wearing Gore-Tex hiking boots.

The man had no identification, and investigators identified him through fingerprints. Authorities did not immediately release his identity pending notification of his family.

Edmundson said the victim had a “minor criminal record” but would not elaborate. The location of the body next to a small dirt road suggests that the killer knew the area and that the slaying was premeditated, Edmundson said.

Investigators said the man was not from Topanga.

The area has been the site of several “body dumps” in the past few months, including one incident in which the bodies of two men were found along Topanga Canyon Boulevard last summer. Sheriff’s officials have said Topanga’s remote, unlighted roads make it a favorite place for body dumps.

The case is still under investigation.