The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the city of Carson are expected to provide an update Thursday on the investigation into the discovery of two bodies — including a young girl — in or near the Dominguez Channel.
The girl’s body was found around noon Tuesday unresponsive and floating in a body of water 12:05 p.m. Tuesday near the Dominguez Channel Bike Path in the 20000 block of South Avalon Boulevard, near the Victoria Golf Course, according to the sheriff’s department.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner confirmed the girl was between 6 and 13 years old and stood between 4 feet, 4 inches and 4 feet, 8 inches tall and weighed between 60 and 85 pounds. She had dark brown or black hair and brown eyes.
Sheriff’s officials said the girl was in a state of “severe decomposition” and was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Investigators learned a patron at a local golf course, which runs along the Dominguez Channel, saw the girl floating downstream and called emergency services,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement.
The girl’s name was being withheld by the medical examiner pending notification of relatives, sheriff’s officials said.
Around 8 a.m. Wednesday, a man’s body was found when deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive person alongside the Dominguez Channel in the 2100 block of East Sepulveda Boulevard, according to the sheriff’s department.
Footage from the scene showed a pop-up tent typically used to shield a body from view, covering a spot on the channel bank.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, and Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau detectives were called in to investigate.
It remained unclear if the deaths were related, or if any foul play was suspected in either of the fatalities.
Anyone with information regarding the deaths was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.