ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> A crashed and overgrown SUV found near a set of skeletal remains deep in the Angeles National Forest near Mt. Wilson has been connected to a Sunland woman who disappeared just over two years ago after leaving her sister’s home in La Crescenta, authorities said Thursday.
The silver Honda CRV was discovered Tuesday, more than 500 feet over the side of Angeles Crest Highway, near mile marker 41.69, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said. The SUV was becoming overgrown with weeds and foliage.
Searchers returned to the apparent crash scene Wednesday morning, where they discovered the skeletal remains of an unidentified person, Lt. Steve Jauch of the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said. The age or gender of the person whose remains were found was not clear. Jauch declined to speculate on how long the SUV and remains had been there.
The Honda has been “connected” to Kimberly Blum, who was reported missing by her family on June 5, 2014, at age 45, Deputy Trina Schrader of the sheriff’s Information Bureau said in a written statement.
Blum briefly stopped by her sister’s house in the 2000 block of Cinco Casitas Lane in La Crescenta, where a graduation party was being held for her niece, her mother, Rosalie Blum, said last year.
Surveillance camera footage shows Blum walking away from her sister’s home and driving off in a silver Honda CRV.
She was never seen or heard from again.
The only sign of Blum was a small bag containing medication and other personal items belonging to her that was found along the side of Angeles Crest Highway, 21 miles north of the 210 Freeway, in the early days of the search for her.
Anyone with information was asked to contact LAPD Detective Cletus Carlton at 213-996-1800.