Sheriff's Dept.: Body Near Fire Died Years Earlier

CASTAIC, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles County detectives say body parts discovered after a wildfire were those of a homicide victim who had most likely been killed years before the fire broke out.

A Sheriff's Department statement Sunday night says investigators have found that that the skeletal remains and shoe discovered Saturday were not from someone who died in the fire, but a man who was the victim of foul play as long as four years ago.

The fire broke out Friday in dry ranchland, threatening two homes and blackening more than 100 acres before being contained on Sunday.

Coroner's investigators will attempt to identify the remains and determine the cause of death. The remains were found in the unincorporated community of Gorman near State Route138 about 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)