$50K Reward Offered In Recycling Plant Cold Case

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — It's been more than 1,400 days since LAPD detective Brian Putnam was handed the murder case: A woman's naked, decomposing body was found at a recycling plant in Chinatown. She had nothing to identify her. And there were no clues on how she got there.

The discovery made local headlines. But that didn't generate any leads.

Putnam told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO he's spent years mulling over the case but still has no answers.

"Someone loved her. She's someone's daughter," Putnam said. "Someone knows what happened to her."

Now the LAPD is hoping a $50,000 reward will revive the cold case and bring about some answers: Who was this woman? How did she die?

Officers and cadets canvassed a wide stretch of Downtown L.A. Wednesday night passing out fliers advertising the reward. It also features a sketch, an artist's rendering given the shape of the woman's skull and the scant details available.

It also shows a ring she was wearing when she was pulled, wrapped in plastic and sheets or possibly towels, from the plant at 1000 North Main St. on Sept. 10, 2010.

Putnam thinks the body may have been dumped in a recycling bin in the Griffith Park area or beyond.

The woman is believed to have been 40 to 80 years old. She was white or Hispanic, with brown or auburn hair. She was 5-foot-4.

Anyone with information about the woman was asked to contact Putnam or detective Steve Chung at (213) 996-1889 or (213) 996-1890.