A woman found dead inside an abandoned vehicle in El Segundo was identified by coroner’s officials Thursday as the Los Angeles Police Department took over the investigation.
The victim is Karla Morales-Escobar, 19, and the cause of death has not yet been determined, authorities said. She was found inside a parked car in a residential area near East Elm Avenue and California Street when El Segundo police responded to the scene around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
LAPD is now leading the investigation since the victim is believed to be a person reported missing last Friday in the department’s North Hollywood jurisdiction, LAPD Detective Dave Peteque said.
Officials believe Morales-Escobar’s body had been dead inside the vehicle for some time since there was decomposition underway.
There were no obvious signs of trauma or a visible cause of death, Peteque said.
No other details have been released.
KTLA’s Jennifer Thang contributed to this report.