Family IDs California woman found dead in dumpster after man seen dragging body



EL MONTE, California (KTLA) -- A woman was found dead after bystanders reported a man dragging a body toward dumpsters Tuesday morning, officials said.

El Monte police found the victim buried beneath trash in a garbage bin when they responded around 10:30 a.m., said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Brandon Dean.

The person who initially called authorities said they saw a man dragging a woman's body from a trailer in a mobile home park out to the street, Dean said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her cause of death remains unknown, authorities said.

Officials have yet to release the woman’s name. But she was identified to KTLA as Florinda Velasquez Fernandez, a 62-year-old woman from El Salvador, by her daughter Sara Velasquez.

Velasquez Fernandez is survived by two daughters and several grandchildren.

The victim was renting a room in a four-bedroom home in the park that she shared with two brothers and an older man, relatives say. Her family believes one of those men — whom they say was mean to Velasquez Fernandez and involved with narcotics — is responsible for her death.

A neighbor shared home security video that they believe shows Velasquez Fernandez's killer pushing a large blue tub out to a dumpster Tuesday morning.

Maria Monroy, who’s lived in the mobile home park for more than 10 years, said trash is usually picked up on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Footage from the scene showed that deputies blocked off a nearby area as they searched around three large trash bins near the mobile homes and industrial shops.

Homicide detectives were interviewing multiple witnesses, and a possible suspect was detained for questioning. Dean would not say whether the person in custody lives at the park or knew the victim.

The investigation remained active, and no further details were available.