(KTLA) – The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the discovery of a man’s body inside a 55-gallon drum in Malibu Lagoon on Monday.
A park worker first saw the drum floating by the Pacific Coast Highway bridge Sunday night.
“They got in a kayak to get it and brought it to shore,” said LASD Lt. Hugo Reynaga. ” Apparently it was too heavy and they didn’t want to open it, so they left it on shore.”
When lifeguards arrived at work Monday morning, they saw the drum in the lagoon and tried to pull it out at which point they discovered the body inside, officials said.
Authorities haven’t yet released the man’s identity, but they believe he had not been in the barrel for very long.
KTLA helicopter footage showed the black plastic drum standing upright in shallow water and the beach appeared to be closed for the investigation.
Late last spring, a body was found in a barrel in Nevada’s Lake Mead. Authorities said the body may have been there for four decades but have not yet identified the victim, despite identifying other bodies that appeared due to receding water levels.
Due to high tide, investigators believe it is possible the barrel was carried into the lagoon from the ocean.
