2nd human skull found in Angeles National Forest

A second human skull was found today in the burned-out Angeles National Forest, where hikers discovered a human skull earlier this week, authorities said today.

A search was prompted by the human remains discovered Thursday in the area, and began around 7:30 a.m., said Steve Whitmore for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The second skull was located around 10:30 a.m. ``in the general vicinity of the other'' skull discovery.

``This is currently being investigated as a suspicious circumstance surrounding the discovery of human remains,'' Whitmore said, and added that it was unknown whether the discoveries were connected in any way.

The initial discovery of human remains was made around 5:35 p.m. Thursday on the Angeles Forest Highway near mile marker 19.36, said Deputy Rick Pedroza of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

``It was a skull, found by a hiker,'' said Los Angeles County Coroner's Investigator Jerry McKibben.

That location is near Lucas Creek, a steep drainage that feeds Big Tujunga Canyon above the Big Tujunga Dam, according to a duty officer at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's station. It is along Highway N-3 about 20 miles north of the junction near Mount Wilson between Angeles Forest Highway and the Angeles Crest Highway (California Route 2).

The hillside where the skull was found is in or near a recently burned part of the forest, McKibben said. The Angeles Forest Highway winds its way through mountain watersheds that sustained severe damage during the Station Fire in August and September.