Specimen #4

Specimen No. 4, hands and feet, were discovered Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the 3200 block of Canyon Drive in the Hollywood Hills, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

The severed limbs were discovered a day after a head was found by passersby hiking in the area.

Two women were in the rugged Hollywood Hills when one of the dogs they were walking found a plastic bag in the brush containing a human head, according to law enforcement sources.

The next day, with the help of specially trained cadaver dogs, police found two hands and two feet. Authorities believe the victim was killed within a day or two of the discovery of the head.

Although authorities did not initially know whose body parts they were, they were able to identify the head as Hervey Medellin, a 66-year-old white man, several days later. He was a retired Mexicana Airlines employee.

The coroner's office is still conducting DNA tests to determine if the hands and feet match Medellin, said Ed Winter, spokesman for the coroner's office. He could provide no other information about the case.

Anyone with details about the death of Hervey Medellin or the identity of the hands and feet is asked to contact the LAPD at (877) 527-3247. Tipsters who would like to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

— Los Angeles Times