A burning body was found hanging from a tree in Los Angeles' Griffith Park on Tuesday, prompting a big police response. Passersby, who spotted the fire in a tree a few hundred feet from the park's merry-go-round, alerted park rangers, who then alerted authorities, who responded around 1pm local time. Firefighters put out the blaze before removing the body from the tree, per NBC Los Angeles. Police tell the outlet that the individual, who hasn't been identified, appeared to have died of "self-immolation."
"This is going to be somebody [who] brought some gasoline, brought some lighters," says LAPD Detective Michael Ventura. He adds the individual, whose race and sex couldn't be determined, may have been a "local transient," per the Sun. NBC notes the merry-go-round was closed, so there weren't many people in that area of the park. However, the Los Angeles Times reports "a film crew was shooting nearby." (If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, call the suicide prevention lifeline at 988.)
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