Woman's Body Found Burning In Abandoned Shopping Cart, Victim Yet To Be Identified As LAPD Investigates Homicide

The charred body of a woman was found in a shopping cart on Tuesday, March 1, morning, Los Angeles police said.

The LAPD said the body was found wedged inside the shopping cart abandoned near North Main and Wilhardt streets outside downtown Los Angeles.

The gruesome discovery was made just before 5 am Tuesday by a man arriving at work in the industrial art district, according to the LAPD.

"The fire was still burning - that person did use a fire extinguisher to put out that fire," said LAPD Lt. Ryan Rabbett.

The death is being investigated as a homicide and no arrests have been reported yet.

"It's very concerning. In fact, the whole safety environment in this area has been getting a little tense since the pandemic started," George Gibbs, who works inside a nearby warehouse, told ABC7.

A surveillance camera spotted a man on a bicycle heading toward the Main Street Bridge around the time of the fire.

"It’s just incredibly sad. This isn’t what this neighborhood is about at all," Genevieve Burress, who lives nearby told NBC.

"I’ve seen people using drugs and running around the railroad tracks. I’ve called the police, and seen people light fires. The fire department has been called a few times," she said.

Local reports said the victim was possibly homeless but the authorities have not confirmed that information as the victim is yet to be identified. The cause of death is also unclear at this time.

It was also unclear if the woman was still alive when the fire started, or if she was burned after she died.

"We don’t know if this is homeless-related. We don’t if it’s gang-related. We really are in the preliminary stage of this investigation," Lt. Ryan Rabbett said.

"I think that video, which seems to be a lot of in this neighborhood, will tell us a lot more," Rabbett said.

Detectives are urging anyone with information about the incident to contact 877-527-3247.