{"id":256986,"date":"2026-04-08T04:48:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T04:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/256986\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T04:48:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T04:48:19","slug":"human-remains-found-during-long-beach-easter-egg-hunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/256986\/","title":{"rendered":"Human Remains Found During Long Beach Easter Egg Hunt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>An Easter Sunday celebration at a Long Beach, California park took a disturbing turn when a person searching for hidden eggs stumbled upon a human skull partially buried in dense brush.<\/p>\n<p>The discovery was made around 5 p.m. on April 5, 2026 at DeForest Park, located at 6255 De Forest Ave. A family was participating in an Easter egg hunt when they ventured into a brushy area of the park.<\/p>\n<p>The family found the remains near a walking trail.<\/p>\n<p>Officials later confirmed the skull was human. A mandible, or jawbone, was the only other remains recovered. The skull was described as small, suggesting it may belong to an infant.<\/p>\n<p>The Human Skull Was Found In a Crowded Park<\/p>\n<p>DeForest Park is a roughly 50-acre green space located approximately 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. The park runs along the Los Angeles River and the 710 Freeway and contains a river parkway, walking trails, freshwater wetlands and open space for recreation.<\/p>\n<p>On Easter Sunday, the park was described as very crowded, with families barbecuing and celebrating the holiday. The Easter egg hunt was an independent event, not organized by the city.<\/p>\n<p>The Long Beach Police Department initially responded to reports of possible human remains. Officers cordoned off a portion of the park and placed a white canopy over the discovery site.<\/p>\n<p>The LA County Medical Examiner\u2019s Special Operations Response Team recovered the remains and transported them to the Forensic Science Center for examination.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday morning, aerial footage showed investigators still scouring the scene. Some appeared to be carrying remains in evidence bags before leaving around noon.<\/p>\n<p>The age, gender and cause of death have not been confirmed and the investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>Community Left Shaken After Easter Egg Hunt Discovery<\/p>\n<p>For residents who frequent DeForest Park, the discovery hit close to home. Several shared their reactions in the days following the find, expressing a mix of sympathy, shock and unease.<\/p>\n<p>Resident Fernando Guzman expressed sympathy for any children who witnessed the discovery.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry for whoever\u2019s kids that even saw that, you know? It sounds pretty bad,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/post\/possible-human-remains-found-long-beach-park-easter-sunday\/18847410\/\">Guzman told ABC7<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Gabriel Rivas, another resident, said the find made him reconsider his sense of safety at a trail he and his girlfriend frequent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy girlfriend and I walk past here all the time and run. We feel it\u2019s a safe trail so \u2026 surprising. I\u2019m going to have to think twice,\u201d Rivas added.<\/p>\n<p>Resident George G. called the discovery sad and disturbing, especially given the timing and circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just so sad what happened, and then on Easter Sunday. And then for kids to find it, that\u2019s very disturbing,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/ktla.com\/news\/local-news\/investigators-confirm-human-skull-found-during-easter-egg-hunt-at-l-a-park\/\">George G told KTLA<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019ve just got to leave it to the authorities, they know what to do. It was really crowded here yesterday. The whole place was full of people barbecuing, having a really good time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica Flores, who lives nearby, described the heartbreak behind the grim discovery.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m just beside myself because we come here all the time,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbclosangeles.com\/news\/local\/possible-human-remains-long-beach\/3871639\/\">Flores told NBC4<\/a>. \u201cI just live down the street and take my grandson around here. It\u2019s just heartbreaking. I hope they figure out who it is because there\u2019s so much children that come to the park.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As investigators continue their work, the park that served as a gathering place for Easter celebrations now sits at the center of an open investigation with far more questions than answers.<\/p>\n<p>This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.<\/p>\n<p>                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.star-telegram.com\/profile\/314652170\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ryan-Brennan.png\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" alt=\"Profile Image of Ryan Brennan\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n                    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                <a class=\"author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.star-telegram.com\/profile\/314652170\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ryan Brennan<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Miami Herald<\/p>\n<p>            Ryan Brennan is a content specialist working with McClatchy Media\u2019s Trend Hunter and national content specialists team.\n            <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An Easter Sunday celebration at a Long Beach, California park took a disturbing turn when a person searching&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":256987,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":["post-256986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}