LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Investigators say forensic and autopsy results will determine if mummified remains found wrapped in 1930's Los Angeles newspapers were the result of abortions.
A longtime resident and one-time chairman of the co-op of the Glen-Donald apartment building where the remains were found in the basement said he suspected "back alley" abortion played a part on the case, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
"It was kept secret for 74 years and my theory is that this rolls back the cover on a cruel, tragic and unjust time in America for women," John Medford said. "Ending pregnancies this way would have been commonplace. This was business as usual in all social strata".
Detectives are also considering the possibility the remains may have been used as medical specimens, the Times said.
Police sources told the Times one of the biggest challenges will be to determine whether a crime was committed. UPI
