California: Burning Body Found Hanging From a Tree in 'Cursed' Los Angeles Park

California park rangers found a burning body hanging from a tree near the Griffith Park merry-go-round in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

According to Los Angeles Times, police arrived at the Los Angeles park around 1 p.m. after a passerby saw a fire burning in a tree and a human body at the center of the blaze.

The person who saw the burning body alerted the park rangers, who then called the police. The fire department had put out the flames and found the human remains.

Police then determined that the person had died of self-immolation. The officers waited until the coroner arrived to bring down the body, which was still reportedly hanging from the tree, obscured by leaves, until around 2 p.m.

A film crew was shooting near the Los Angeles park. However, it was not clear if one of the crew members alerted park rangers to the fire.

Burning Body in Los Angeles Park in California

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Department, Margaret Steward, told Los Angeles Daily News that the body belonged to a woman, New York Post reported.

Authorities noted that they believe the victim was a person who visited the park regularly and was possibly a transient person. Police said there were no signs of foul play, and they were looking at the incident as a suicide.

Los Angeles Police Department detective Michael Ventura noted that the incident appeared to be self-immolation, adding that it was somebody who brought some gasoline and lighters.

Ventura added that self-immolation cases are rare but have faced instances similar to those found in the Los Angeles park. Police said a coroner is now conducting a probe to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

Reports said it was not the first body found in the park this year. A body of a hiker who went missing was found in a remote area of Griffith Park in April.

The hiker's body was discovered with his pet dog still sitting loyally by his side. The victim was identified as Oscar Alejandro Hernandez, 29.

Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California

Griffith Park in Los Angeles is one of the country's largest urban parks. However, it was said to have been cursed since it was first established.

The park was owned by a wealthy bachelor, Don Antonio Feliz, in the mid-19th century, with the land being a ranch. Feliz reportedly lived there with his housekeeper and his niece Petranilla.

When Feliz lay dying of smallpox in 1863, a local politician named Antonio Coronel came to draw up Feliz's will. Coronel and his lawyer then claimed that Feliz left the ranch to him and nothing for Petranilla.

Petranilla was then infuriated by the outcome and swore that "the substance of the Feliz family shall be your curse," and the "wrath of heaven and the vengeance of hell shall fall upon this place," The Washington Post reported.

The curse might be a myth. However, it was reported that the many owners of Griffith Park had met unpleasant fates. Coronel's lawyer was shot and killed while celebrating the sale of land's water rights.

The next owner tried to turn the land into a dairy business. However, the cattle sickened and died. Grasshoppers and fires had also ruined the crops.

Its last owner, Griffith J. Griffith, donated it to Los Angeles as a Christmas present after he realized the land was more trouble than it was worth. Once in the public hands, 29 Civilian Conservation Corps workers died in a 1933 wildfire.

In 1976, a young couple making love on a picnic table died after being crushed by a falling tree. However, the park rangers said visitors had nothing to fear in the park.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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