Bodies of 2 Slain Men Found in Back Seat of Burning Car

ANAHEIM — Firefighters found the bodies of two men in the back seat of a blazing car, the victims of a double homicide, police said Monday.

Anaheim Police Sgt. Steve Rodig said detectives believe the men, whose names were not released pending notification of relatives, may have been killed elsewhere before their bodies were driven to an alley behind an apartment complex on West Casa Grande Avenue, about two miles from Disneyland. Rodig refused to disclose how the men were killed.

The burning gray Ford Thunderbird was discovered at 10:20 p.m. Sunday by residents of the complex who heard an explosion first, police said. Firefighters found the bodies after the flames, which were confined to the back of the car, were extinguished.

On Monday, the car had been towed and the street apparently swept and washed. A few curious neighbors discussed the nighttime disturbance and the police knocking on their doors asking for information. But, the neighbors said, other than hearing an explosion and seeing heavy smoke, they knew nothing.

Ken and Amy Gray were in their apartment when they heard an explosion that they thought was a gunshot. Amy Gray, 24, called 911 while her husband grabbed two fire extinguishers from the apartment and tried unsuccessfully to douse the car fire.

“We didn’t see anything suspicious before the explosion, but later, we did see a body in the back” of the car, said Ken Gray, 35.