Pasadena Star News - January 02, 2002

PASADENA -- A body so badly decomposed police only suspect it is that of a male was discovered Tuesday night when someone reported a bad smell emanating from the Arroyo Seco, authorities said.

Pasadena Fire Department firefighters had to rappel down the face of a cliff and cut through thick brush with chain saws to reach the source of the smell, said Pasadena police Lt. Darryl Qualls.

The body, possibly that of a transient, was discovered after a two-hour search ended about 9:30 p.m. near the Colorado Street Bridge just east of San Rafael Avenue in what appeared to be a transient camp, he said.

The bridge is known locally as Suicide Bridge because of the large number of people who have jumped from it to their death.

But police said it was too early to tell what caused the death.

"We don't know if it was a natural death or at the hands of someone else," Qualls said.

The race of the dead person could also not be determined because of the state of decomposition, he said.