In reading the story today about a missing woman found dead in police employees' parking space, we were reminded of a similar tragedy that happened here in San Francisco, where a Leonard Milo Hoskins' body was undiscovered in a van for a month, before being impounded by police and found a week later. While the couple wanted in connection with Hoskins are still at large, we think these incidents bring up serious questions about police procedure in potential homicides.

In both cases, police did not search the vehicles despite both vehicles being connected with missing persons. In the case of the missing woman in LA, since no evidence of foul play was observed on the outside of the van, the vehicle remained unsearched until family members came to claim the car and discovered the body of the missing woman themselves. In San Francisco, the undiscovered body of Hoskins was in police custody for nearly a week and police haven't stated why the suspects' van was not investigated immediately after being impounded.

While we're concerned with privacy laws as much as the next person, it seems unreasonable for police procedures to allow incidents like these to happen. A loophole large enough for bodies to remain undiscovered for days at a time (while in police custody!) should require a definite reexamination of police protocol, especially with these vehicles linked to crimes with possible foul play.