Body found in SUV had gunshot wound in chest, coroner says

 

L.A. County coroner’s investigators say the body of a man found decomposing in a parked SUV in the Fairfax district had a gunshot wound to the chest.

Authorities say the body found in a Cadillac Escalade probably had been in the vehicle for several days and was so decomposed that it was unidentifiable.

KTLA’s David Begnaud also wrote in a tweet Tuesday: "Vehicle's owner: SUV had been 'rented out' " but added no additional details.

The SUV had been parked in the Fairfax district near West Hollywood since Thursday, and the body was found Saturday, said coroner's investigator Dana Bee.

Bee said decomposition of a body placed in a trunk under direct sunlight would occur quickly and could make a body that had been dead for two days look as though it had been decomposing for two weeks.

Los Angeles police found the body after receiving reports Saturday of a foul odor coming from a vehicle parked near Willoughby and North Genesee avenues, said Sgt. Frank Preciado of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Bee said the incident was being investigated as a homicide.

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--Matt Stevens and Kate Mather