Decomposing Body Of Chase Suspect Found Inside A Pillar

Rotting body of a man was found wedged within a pillar outside a grocery store in California on Saturday afternoon after the shop’s manager noticed a foul smell emanating from it.

The manager, thinking a sewage leak occurred, called the plumber who chipped away the brick of the pillar to reveal a person’s leg inside.

“When they did that, they looked down and they could see a shoe and a leg down there at the bottom of the column – inside the column,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Department spokesman Lt. John Corina said.

The body will be examined by coroners to determine the exact cause of death. As of now, it remains unclear if he died due to the fall or because he was trapped and couldn’t get out, reports said.

"It's been over 100 degrees up here every day," he said. "I can’t imagine being inside that column and just baking ... it's a horrible way to die."

The dead man was found standing on both his feet. One of his arms was trapped behind his head.

"It's unusual. I've never seen anything like this before — somebody inside a column. Somebody tries to hide from the police and they can't get out and end up dying in there. That's what it looks like anyway," Corina said.

Authorities think the body might be of a man who the sheriff’s deputies were chasing last week. The man abruptly vanished around the WinCo supermarket, Lancaster, 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

The police believe the man in question ran into the supermarket in an attempt to hide, and at some point fell into the pillar as he moved along the crawling space.

“He got out of the car, ran in, ran up the steps where the managers [are.],” Henry Oliver, a witness told CBS Los Angeles. “And somehow he got on the roof. Last I heard he got away.”

The police said they lost the suspect when he climbed on the roof. They added there was an access door at the top of the roof, which connected to the front part of the store as well. The police noted they didn’t see the suspect come out of the store after that.

Since the body was not that of an employee, the police came to strongly suspect that it might be that of their chase suspect.

“We’re thinking this could possibly be that individual,” Lt. Corina said.

Right after the body was discovered, customers were turned away from the store.

“It’s terrible,” a resident said. “I was just thinking, you know, I wonder if he was trying to get anybody’s attention and nobody would know. Nobody would know where it’s coming from, the voice, you know, if that’s the case. Because I’m hoping it was instant if that was what happened.”

“My concern was everybody in the store okay?” Constance Fullwood, a regular customer at the shop said. “It’s very emotional because I shop here at least four times a month.” She added that she was glad the body which was discovered was not that of an employee.