Human hand found at Lake Isabella leads to tip in murder mystery

A human hand sticking out of the sand at Lake Isabella provided a tip that led authorities to arrest two Kern County men on suspicion of murder and conspiracy, authorities said.

The hand was discovered Saturday by a woman walking the shoreline in the Hanning Flat area of the lake, the Kern County Sheriff's Office said.

Investigators excavating around the hand found a body that appeared to have suffered wounds to the head and torso, authorities said. The body was tentatively identified as that of Michael Thomas Hill, 52.

Detectives followed leads and arrested Dennis Lee Simmons, 59, and Clifton Blake, 42, on Sunday in connection with the death, the department said in a release. Both men are Weldon residents.

The men were being held at the Central Receiving Facility in Bakersfield.

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— Robert J. Lopez

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