Los Angeles Police searching for head of elderly blind man Robert Hollis, decapitated in his home

Police are continuing to search for the head of Robert Hollis, who was brutally killed in his apartment in the city of Inglewood, near Los Angeles on Thursday.

Hollis, 75, was blind and lived alone. He lived independently, shopping for his groceries and singing in a church choir. On Wednesday, Hollis asked a neighbour for a lift to a local shop but failed to show up.

According to reporting by the Los Angeles Times, when the neighbour raised the alarm Hollis' son found his decapitated corpse inside his apartment at around 1pm on Thursday.

Yesterday, Hollis' cousin Tony Love told reporters that Hollis' head is still missing.

The horrible discovery has shocked the residents of the apartment complex.

Hollis was on good terms with many of them, who called him "Mr Bo". Love say that there are no signs of robbery, leading to speculation that Hollis knew his killer.

"He wouldn't answer the door unless he knew you," said Love. "He won't hurt a fly. No enemies. I guess he had one."

The Inglewood Police Department has not yet released further details of the killing or of potential suspects. The Los Angeles County Coroner has not confirmed a cause of death.

Hollis ran his own signage business, advertising on Facebook as "Mr Bo Jangles Custom Signs". He was also an amateur musician. He gave Kevin Deane, another resident of the apartment complex who lived on the floor above him, a melodica (an instrument that is a hybrid of a flute, with a keyboard attached). They often discussed music making and the music industry.

Deane is at a loss as to why anyone would perpetrate such a terrible crime.

"What do you need with the man's head?" he asked. "This is like a bad horror movie."