KTLA

Authorities identify woman who was found dead in trash can in Sunland

LAPD investigators inspect a trash can where a body was found in Sunland on April 16, 2024. (KTLA)

The identity of a woman who was found dead in a trash can on Tuesday morning has been released. 

She was identified by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office as 32-year-old Heather Haas. 

Haas’ decomposing body was found inside a bag that was stuffed into a trash can with the lid sealed shut around 10:30 a.m. 

Neighbors had initially called police to report an odd odor, according to preliminary information.

A homicide tent covers a trash can where a body was found in Sunland on April 16, 2024. (KTLA)

Video from Sky5 showed law enforcement officers investigating the black trash can, which appeared to have been placed along the curb as if it were waiting for normal trash pickup, but authorities later confirmed that the trash can did not belong to the neighborhood. 

It is not known how long Haas’ body was in the trash can before being found, and how she died remains under investigation. 

No suspect description has been released, and anyone with information is asked to call the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-275-5273.