Firefighters responding to a brush fire early Tuesday morning made a gruesome discovery. They extinguished a fire in a burning van and found a dead body inside. LAFD was called to the 21000 block of Mulholland Drive at approximately 7:25 am. Arson investigators and LAPD were then called to the scene near Rosario Road, which is a dirt trail not often used by cars, but more often a popular hiking and walking trail in the south end of Woodland Hills. A large police presence was on scene most of the day as the incident was deemed a homicide.
The deceased was identified Thursday morning as 37-year-old Joel Ravin of Reseda. Joel Ravin is the older brother of former LA Dodgers pitcher Josh Ravin, who was not involved in the incident. The brothers grew up and attended high school in West Hills.
Joel Ravel was known to have a criminal background and in 2015 was shot five times outside of his West Hills home by a gunman believed to have been known by the victim.
The case is currently being treated as a homicide and anyone with information about the case is urged to call police at (818) 374-9550 or (877) LAPD-247.
