A human-like mannequin that looked like a dead body wrapped in a tarp on Wednesday afternoon in Gorman prompted a call to deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station to investigate the incident, according to officials.
SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies received a report of a person not breathing in the 38000 block of Golden State Highway at around 2 p.m., said Sgt. Ryan Elsee, a spokesman for the station, during initial reports. He then deferred further questions to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Information Bureau.
Lt. Michael Modica, with the LASD Homicide Bureau, said that a hiker saw a suspicious object at a far distance that looked like a person wrapped in a tarp and contacted authorities.
After officials conducted their investigation, they learned the possible dead body was a mannequin.
Los Angeles County Fire Department and Angeles National Forest personnel responded to a call reporting a medical emergency at around 1:48 p.m., said Howard Tieu, a spokesman for the Fire Department.
Firefighters arrived at the scene of the incident at 2:01 p.m. and closed the call 23 minutes later with no transports reported, he added.
The incident location was not far from Whitaker Peak Trailhead, a local hiking area.
Personnel with the Angeles National Forest could not immediately be reached at the time of the incident due to the government shutdown that has impacted national parks and recreational areas, according to an ANF voicemail.
“SCV Sheriffs are currently conducting an investigation on Golden State Highway/Templin (Highway) in Gorman. We ask that you please avoid the area. Thank you for your patience and cooperation,” said a social media post from the SCV Sheriff’s Station during their investigation.
