LOS ANGELES, April 9 (UPI) -- Grisly tales of rats gnawing on cadavers at the Los Angeles County morgue have prompted an investigation into how the infestation began and why it was not immediately halted.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich ordered the investigation late Monday after television reports aired detailing the invasion of the rodents that gnawed on, and in some cases through, the wrappings on a dozen bodies.
"I've been here 30 years, and this is the first time I've seen this kind of problem," Anthony Hernandez, director of the Coroner's Office, told the Los Angeles Daily News. "We fixed a crack in the cement and fixed a door that wasn't closing properly. We're also bringing in exterminators to set out traps."
The problem occurred in a makeshift facility behind the main coroner's office near downtown Los Angeles that is used for long-term storage of bodies that are often unidentified. Hernandez said some of the bodies are those of homeless people and have been around since 1995, however some are homicide victims who were never claimed by relatives.
Hernandez said he suspected the infestation began when portions of the nearby County-USC Medical Center were torn down, sending the rodents in search of a new home.
"It is an unfortunate situation and I know the coroner has taken immediate corrective actions in dealing with this incident," Supervisor Don Knabe said Tuesday, adding that county pest control officials would be monitoring the situation in order to prevent another rat invasion.
"I've been informed that the coroner dealt with this issue in a timely manner once it was detected," Knabe said. "Clearly, my sympathies are with the families."
