A homeless woman stumbled upon the body next to the State Street off-ramp, where the 10 and 5 freeways meet, at about 9 p.m. The body was in a broken plastic storage container, making the contents perfectly clear - a woman's naked body.
Police say someone tried to hide the evidence using plastic bags.
"It was partially covered in Target, or some kind of plastic bags, and she was face down in the bushes," said LAPD Det. DeWain Fields.
Officials said the body is that of a Hispanic female in her 20s. It appears the victim was murdered and dumped, but how she was murdered is not yet known. Authorities say there were no obvious signs of trauma to the body.
Police say the container was dumped on the side of the road recently, causing the plastic to break. And based on her appearance, the victim does not appear to be a transient. Fields said the victim had a few tattoos, including "love" and "hate" on each wrist.
"I believe there was a 'Trust no vato' or something like that on her torso," he said.
Authorities say fingerprints may help identify the victim, and investigators are searching the scene where the body was found for clues. Homicide detectives say the victim does not yet match any missing persons reports.
The coroner will determine the exact cause of death.
Anyone with information was urged to call LAPD's tip line at (877) LAPD-24-7.
