A day at the beach turned into a horror movie for a few lifeguards who discovered a dead body in California waters.
A lifeguard at Malibu Lagoon State Beach opened a plastic drum brought in from the water by a maintenance worker. He was shocked to discover a decomposing human body inside. According to reports, a maintenance worker noticed the plastic drum floating out in the water early in the morning. They took a kayak and brought it in, but decided not to open it, as that wasn't really their duty and it was heavy.
The body was found inside a sealed barrel on a beach in Malibu, California. He was a singer-songwriter and rap artist from the Los Angeles area, officials have said. The body was discovered at around 10 a.m. on Monday (July 31), when a local lifeguard pulled the barrel out of the water and checked inside. The lifeguard opened the barrel because it was suspiciously heavy, a source close to the investigation told a local reporter.
Now, the LA County medical examiner has identified the body as that of 32-year-old Javonnta Murphy, of Sylmar. Murphy’s body was found naked inside the barrel, but his cause of death has yet to be released, according to reports.
Murphy’s social media pages show he was a singer-songwriter and hip-hop artist. He often posted videos of himself singing to his own music in his car. Friends, family, and strangers have flooded his social media with condolences and sadness. One commented on an Instagram video: "Rest in peace... You didn’t deserve what happened to you. I don’t know you, but I know nobody deserves this."
Another read: "So sorry this happened to you. You were such an awesome dude. Former Malibu Mayor Jefferson Wagner said he noticed the barrel on Sunday. He told the LA Times he “thought it was a toxic waste container when I saw it.”
"This is not what happens in Malibu. This is not a common occurrence. I mean, bodies in a barrel are just sad.” A police investigation is ongoing, and officers are hoping to look at security footage for clues.
