LAPD Addresses Rumor of Dead Body Found in Highland Park

Officials from the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast Divsion are denying rumors that the body of a dead woman was found behind on Thursday evening.

Officer Curtis Davis of Northeast LAPD's Crime Analysis Unit on Friday said that there was no such incident reported in the department's logs.

Patch was first alerted to the rumor by a community member, who said he had seen a post about it on one of his friend's Facebook timeline.

The post read as follows:

So apparently the body a woman, who was beaten to death yesterday in front of Rite -    Aid (in broad daylight) by two huge, horribly pathetic excuses for men, was found in     my alley yesterday right behind El Pescador on Ave 53 and Fig. Ladies carry more than     pepper spray with you..... even if all you have is a kitchen knife. I haven't heard any     media coverage on this so far. Keep your eyes open and don't be afraid to observe and r    eport. MEN: If you see something going down, help out!! We have a responsibility to fight for our women and children...even if we get hurt/killed in the process

Patch posted the message on Northeast LAPD's Facebook wall on Friday after another community member also asked about incident.

Officer Davis, who administers the Facebook page, responded again, saying that no such incident was reported in department's logs.

"I just talked to the guys working last night and we did not have anything like that. I also ran it in our system and don't have any incidents there," Davis said.

A photo of the interaction can be seen in the media box above.

There was a heavy police presence in Highland Park on Friday, at around 9 a.m., as officers set up a perimeter between Echo Street and Sycamore Grove Park in an effort to track down a .

In a , the recent murders of two women from Lincoln Heights have stoked Internet rumors about a serial killer being on the loose in Northeast Los Angeles.

"Social media can be a blessing and a curse," Davis said. "It really allows for rumors to circulate before they're given any credence."

Have you heard the rumor about a woman's body begin found behind El Pescador? What do you think of LAPD's response?