LOS ANGELES — An autopsy was pending Monday on a badly decomposed body recovered from the ocean about 3 miles off the Santa Monica Pier.
Lifeguards recovered the body Sunday afternoon after it was spotted by a boater who notified authorities, said Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Terry Hearst.
Coroner's investigators will attempt to identify the person and establish a cause of death.
Because of the state of decomposition, the gender and race were not obvious, according to lifeguards. A spokesman for the coroner’s office said the victim was possibly male.
Hearst said it was possible the person drowned in the surf zone and was carried offshore by currents, tides and winds.
news@www.smdp.com
