North Hollywood Man Found Dead in Closet

The body of a man was found bound and stuffed into a bathroom closet in a North Hollywood apartment Thursday, and police said the victim probably knew his killer.

A manager at the Royale Sherman Apartments in the 12300 block of Sherman Way entered the second-floor unit about 10:30 a.m., detected a foul odor and called authorities, Los Angeles Police Department Det. Mike Coffey said.

Detectives would not immediately identify the dead man, believed to be a longtime tenant of the 236-unit complex, but said there was no sign of a break-in.

“This was not a suicide,� Coffey said. “We think [the killer] is somebody he knew and allowed into the apartment.�

Neighbors told detectives that the man was last seen Sunday morning. The next day, a workman sent to fix a bathroom shower in the victim’s apartment tried to gain entry, but left after someone on the inside kept locking the door as he repeatedly tried to unlock it, police said.

Soon after, some residents of the building said they began smelling a foul odor near the apartment, but did not report it because they believed it was a plumbing problem.

Investigators were not sure how the man died, because the body was so decomposed. A cause of death will be determined by the county coroner’s office.

The victim, whose estranged wife lives in the same complex, had no children. He was on government assistance and took the bus to Hollywood every day to care for an elderly man, police said.

Residents described him as a polite and happy person, someone who didn’t seem to have any troubles.

“He was very sweet-mannered,� neighbor Helen Orzel said.