In a tragic recurrence, a second body has been found at the base of the dramatic cliffs that define one of Southern California’s most prestigious coastal locales within two months.
On October 30, officers from the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department responded to a report of a body sighting near the steep bluffs along the 1400 block of Paseo Del Mar, as reported by SF Gate.
Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department aided in the recovery of the remains, identified as a man, from the rugged shoreline. Police Chief Luke Hellinga has stated that there are no signs of foul play in this incident.
This incident mirrors a previous tragedy from earlier in the year when another body was discovered in the same coastal area just south of Paseo Del Mar.
On August 30, emergency responders, including fire crews and police, were called to the same vicinity following the discovery of a body at the cliff’s base. Eyewitnesses suggested the victim was male, but authorities have yet to confirm the individual’s identity publicly. In both instances, investigators found no evidence of criminal involvement, according to Chief Hellinga.
The somber scene of first responders standing near the cliffs has become an all-too-familiar sight for the Palos Verdes Estates community. (Image courtesy of the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department)
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.
An undated photo showing a helicopter, often used in rescues, near the Palos Verdes cliff. (Palos Verdes Estates Police Department)
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.
Cars make their way along Palos Verdes Drive South in Rancho Palos Verdes Aug. 31, 2024. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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.”
A resident walks next to a rocky coastline in Palos Verdes. Human remains were discovered in the coastal city last week. (Getty Images)
“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.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
