Police Detective Discovers Unreleased Linkin Park Tracks Hidden in Abandoned Los Angeles Apartment
Los Angeles, CA – May 20, 2025
In an unexpected twist to what began as a routine investigation, a Los Angeles police detective uncovered what appears to be a collection of unreleased tracks by legendary rock band Linkin Park in a long-abandoned apartment in downtown LA.
According to LAPD spokesperson Sgt. Marissa Delgado, Detective James O’Neill was investigating reports of suspicious activity in a condemned apartment complex near South Alameda Street when he stumbled upon a stash of dusty recording equipment, hard drives, and several unlabeled CD-Rs tucked inside a locked cabinet.
“Initially, it looked like just another case of squatter activity,” O’Neill said. “But the apartment was oddly preserved—like someone just walked out mid-session and never returned. What caught my attention was a small notebook with the Linkin Park logo sketched repeatedly, along with track titles I didn’t recognize.”
Authorities turned over the equipment to forensic analysts, and early digital scans suggest that some of the audio files could date back to the Meteora and Minutes to Midnight recording sessions. Sound engineers familiar with the band’s work, brought in to authenticate the material, report that the vocal tracks appear to feature the late Chester Bennington, Linkin Park’s iconic frontman who passed away in 2017.
Mike Shinoda, co-founder and producer of Linkin Park, has not publicly commented yet, but sources close to the band say they have been notified and are reviewing the material.
“This could be one of the most significant finds in rock music in recent memory,” said music historian Dr. Ellen Marwick. “Unreleased tracks, especially involving Chester, hold immense emotional and cultural value for fans and the music community at large.”
The LAPD confirmed that the apartment’s lease records trace back to a former sound engineer who worked at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood—one of Linkin Park’s primary studios in the 2000s. The engineer, whose name has not been disclosed, has been missing since 2014 and is now being sought for questioning.
Fans across social media have exploded with speculation and hope, with hashtags like #LostLinkinPark and #ChesterTapes trending worldwide.
The contents of the recordings are currently under secure review. Whether they will be released publicly remains uncertain, pending legal review and approval from the surviving band members and Bennington’s estate.
More updates are expected in the coming days.
