A disturbing death investigation is unfolding in the Westlake District of Los Angeles, where two people were found dead at a problem homeless encampment, including one who neighbors say was found partially eaten by dogs.
The grisly discovery was found at an encampment along Huntley Circle near downtown L.A.
A woman’s body was found inside a sidewalk tent that had reportedly been locked from the inside. Family members, unable to reach the victim, tore open the tarp and discovered the woman’s body. A man’s body was also found at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office identified the woman as 46-year-old Lucrecia Macias Barajas; the man’s identity has not yet been released.
Cell phone video captured outside the tent shows a woman, believed to be Barajas’ daughter, wailing in grief.
The homeless encampment has been a longtime complaint of nearby residents, who say it’s been neglected by the city and allowed to become progressively more unsafe.
A nearby resident told KTLA’s Sara Welch that the encampment has been a chronic issue for months, with complaints to city officials and police going unaddressed.
“This place has been a danger zone,” the man said. “People don’t feel safe, and nothing is ever done to clear it for good.”
He said his own dogs were attacked by animals living in the encampment. When he attempted to report it, he claims the Los Angeles Police Department told him there was nothing they could do about it. The dogs, he said, remained in the area.
The same resident also said that power has been illegally hooked up at the encampment for months and that despite a fatal RV fire in the area earlier this year, the site continues to be occupied. He added that several abandoned cars are parked on the street and never receive citations, while residents, including himself, continue to be ticketed.
Authorities have not yet released any information regarding the causes of death, nor have they confirmed resident claims about dogs in the area.
Additional information will likely be provided once autopsy results are complete and all surviving family members have been notified of the deaths.