Bodies keep turning up near luxury ocean homes — what to know about the eerie cliffside deaths
For the second time in two months, a body has been recovered from the base of the steep cliffs that line one of Southern California’s most affluent coastal communities.
On Oct. 30, officers from the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department (PVEPD) responded to reports of a body spotted along the steep bluffs near the 1400 block of Paseo Del Mar, SF Gate reported.
Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department assisted in retrieving the remains of an unidentified man from the rocky shoreline below. Police Chief Luke Hellinga said there were no indications of foul play.
ARREST MADE IN CONNECTION TO DEADLY PACIFIC PALISADES FIRE, SOURCES SAY
There was a similar tragedy earlier this year when another body was found in the same coastal stretch south of Paseo Del Mar.
On Aug. 30, fire crews and police were dispatched to the same area after a body was discovered at the base of the cliff. Witnesses said the victim appeared to be male, though authorities have not publicly confirmed the person’s identity. In both cases, investigators reported no evidence of criminal activity, according to Hellinga.
The October and August incidents are part of a disturbing pattern. In late 2024, separate discoveries of human remains were made just blocks away.
On Nov. 16, 2024, a passerby walking along Rat Beach, near the 300 block of Paseo Del Mar, reported finding what appeared to be a human skull and several bones during low tide. Investigators confirmed the remains were human and began working with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office to determine the identity and cause of death.
Just over a month later, on Christmas Day 2024, officers were again called to the area near the 800 block of Paseo Del Mar after a partial human leg washed ashore. The next day, two partial sections of lower extremities were found on the shoreline. The coroner’s office confirmed those remains were also human, and a cadaver dog from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was deployed to search the surrounding coastline.
TOURIST HOT SPOT SHAKEN AFTER HUMAN FOOT WASHES ASHORE; POLICE LAUNCH INVESTIGATION: REPORTS
In a June 18, 2025, news release, police announced that several of the remains recovered along the city’s shoreline since 2023 had been positively identified through DNA testing.
According to Captain Aaron Belda, the identified victims include:
Mark Paulson, 68, whose femur was found in January 2023 and linked to a 2021 boating disappearance off Redondo Beach.
Raymond Simeroth, 57, identified from a skull and bone recovered in November 2024; investigators said he had experienced health issues before his death.
Zhaoliang Tang, 62, confirmed through DNA from two partial lower extremities as a missing fisherman.
The cases showed no signs of foul play, police said.
The deaths have drawn renewed attention to the hazards of the area’s rugged coastline.
According to a 2022 report in The Point, then-Captain Tony Best of PVEPD said that, between 2010 and 2015, officers responded to 31 incidents, including suicides, rescues and injuries, along the city’s coastal cliffs.
Countywide, the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Division reported 9,286 ocean rescues in 2021, including cliff rescue operations.
In 2022, four people fell from the same cliffside, one of whom died, prompting warnings from officials about unstable ground. Fire Captain Wade Kelsey described the landscape to FOX 11 Los Angeles as “very unstable, very dangerous.”
MANAGER OF FAMED STRIP CLUB GUNNED DOWN NEAR HOME IN BLUE CITY AS POLICE HUNT FOR KILLER
“It’s extremely dangerous; there’s no fencing in the area,” Wade told the outlet. “There’s sloping to where it just goes off to a sheer cliff, and the majority of the area here is very unstable, very dangerous if you get close to the edge of this cliff without any sort of protection.”
Despite the risks, the cliffs remain largely unfenced and accessible.
The cliffside city remains one of California’s wealthiest enclaves. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city’s median household income is about $202,569 (2017–2021 American Community Survey), and Zillow’s Home Value Index places the typical home value around $2.69 million.
In 2015–2016, Palos Verdes Estates worked with Habitat for Humanity to deconstruct and demolish city-owned structures at Bluff Cove, clearing the site for permanent open space following decades of documented land movement, according to city records and notices.
The city’s cliffside properties, perched just yards from the ocean, continue to fuel debate over how to balance scenic preservation with public safety.
The PVEPD and the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office continue to investigate the most recent October incident and work toward identifying the man found near Paseo Del Mar.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the PVEPD at 310-378-4211.
Fox News Digital reached out to the police department and mayor’s office for comment.
Leave a Reply