A person and a lady had been discovered lifeless inside a tent in Westlake on Monday, months after one other particular person died in an RV fireplace on the identical encampment, authorities mentioned.
The Los Angeles Police Division responded to the 1200 block of Huntley Drive — close to the 110 Freeway and downtown Los Angeles — round 7:20 p.m. and located two our bodies, in response to a division spokesperson. The L.A. County health worker‘s workplace is working to find out how they died. Police aren’t investigating the deaths as homicides, the spokesperson mentioned.
The lady was recognized as 46-year-old Lucrecia Macias Barajas, in response to a spokesperson for the health worker.
The person was in his 30s, and his id is being withheld till authorities can attain his household, the spokesperson mentioned.
KTLA Information reported that Barajas’ members of the family discovered her physique after they had been unable to achieve her for a number of days and tore open her tent, which was locked from the within.
ABC7 Information captured video of Animal Companies selecting up Barajas’ canines from the encampment Monday evening. A spokesperson for Animal Companies mentioned the division responded to a request from the LAPD to retrieve two canines from the encampment — a pit bull combine and a shepherd combine — and took them to North Central Animal Shelter.
A person dwelling close by advised KTLA that his canines had been attacked by canines dwelling within the encampment, which he mentioned has brought on persistent issues within the neighborhood.
“This place has been a hazard zone,” the person advised the outlet. “Individuals don’t really feel protected, and nothing is ever achieved to clear it for good.”
On Jan. 7, an individual was discovered lifeless inside a burned car on the encampment. A second particular person, a 38-year-old man, was taken to a hospital within the incident, Los Angeles Fireplace Division spokesperson Margaret Stewart mentioned.
The loss of life charge amongst individuals experiencing homelessness in L.A. County elevated by 55% between 2019 and 2021, an uptick public well being officers have attributed to a surge in fentanyl overdoses.
In 2023, 2,508 individuals experiencing homelessness died in L.A. — which is equal to six.9 deaths a day. Drug and alcohol overdoses had been the main explanation for loss of life, accounting for 45% of all fatalities.
Encampment fires are additionally a contributor to deaths amongst individuals dwelling on the streets or in autos.
From 2018 to 2020, the variety of fires associated to homelessness practically tripled, accounting for roughly 38% of all fires the division responded to in that time-frame, in response to a Occasions evaluation.
