Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide detectives are seeking to identify a heavily decomposed body of a girl between the ages of 6 and 12, who, along with a second man’s remains, was found separately in a channel that runs through Carson.
Sheriff’s Homicide Lt. Daniel Vizcarra said a local golfer spotted the girl’s body floating down the Dominguez Channel on Tuesday and it was retrieved by deputies and firefighters. A day later, a Black male’s body was found about 10 miles away in the channel and, at this stage, is being treated as a separate incident, Vizcarra said.
The girl’s body was in an advanced state of decomposition, and the medical examiner has yet to determine how she died, he said at a news conference in Carson.
Vizcarra said a sheriff’s sketch artist is working to produce a composite of the girl, but investigators have not been able to determine her race and expect to learn additional information once an autopsy is performed. .
The girl’s body was pulled from the water in the channel by the 20000 block of South Avalon Boulevard.
“She was floating downstream, but we don’t know the origin of where she entered the water,” he said.
Vizcarra said the county medical examiner’s office has reached out to neighboring agencies to see if they have any matching descriptions, and canvass teams are working the areas along the channel and checking security cameras.
Homicide Lt. Chris Oakley said the man’s body was found about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Dominguez Channel around the 2000 block of East Sepulveda Boulevard. Oakley said the man is believed to be a Black male between 50 and 60 years old. “He has not been identified, and a complete autopsy is pending,” Oakley said.
Oakley said there were no obvious signs of foul play or trauma. Investigators said the area where the man was found had no homeless activity.
Carson Mayor Pro Tem Cedric Hicks said they are working to identify the individuals and the circumstances surrounding the two deaths. “We want to make sure the city of Carson residents know that we are safe, the region is safe, and the area is safe,” Hicks said.
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