Woman found dead inside Sunland trash bin identified

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating after a body was found inside a "sealed trash can" in Sunland Tuesday morning, according to KTLA. The gruesome discovery was made around 10:30 a.m. on the 8500 block of Wentworth Street.
The Los Angeles medical examiner has identified a 32-year-old woman whose body was found inside a trash bin in Sunland on Tuesday morning. Aerial footage taken that day shows officers standing near the trash bin. (KTLA)

The Los Angeles County medical examiner on Friday identified a woman whose body was discovered inside a trash bin this week in Sunland.

The woman was identified as 32-year-old Heather Hass. A cause of death has not been disclosed.

Her body was discovered Tuesday morning in the 8500 block of Wentworth Street after officers responded to a call from a resident, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Upon arrival, the officers discovered the body inside the trash bin.

Helicopter video from KTLA-TV at the time of the discovery showed police investigating near a closed black bin at a curb in the neighborhood.

William Elliot, a Sunland resident, told KNBC-TV that someone dumped the trash bin onto his property. He said he moved the bin to the street without knowing what was inside it but called police when something seemed off.

"It smells bad and it was zip-tied and very suspicious that the serial number was scratched off of it," Elliot told the station.

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.