Los Angeles County authorities are seeking to identify a young girl and a man whose bodies were found in the Dominguez Channel in Carson, California, in separate incidents days apart. The discovery has prompted investigations by the LA County Sheriff's Department.
The body of the unidentified girl was found floating in the channel along the Dominguez Channel Bike Path on Tuesday. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, the girl is estimated to be between 6 and 13 years old, with brown eyes and short dark brown or black hair. Officials noted the body was in a severe state of decomposition, and the time she may have spent in the water is unknown. An autopsy is pending.
On Wednesday morning, a second body was recovered several miles away in the same channel. The victim was identified as a Black man, possibly in his 50s. Authorities stated he appeared to have been deceased for less than 24 hours. An autopsy is pending, and the sheriff's office reported no obvious signs of trauma or foul play.
Officials are pursuing all avenues to identify both individuals. Carson Mayor Pro Tempore Cedric Hicks addressed the community on Thursday, stating that the city and the region remain safe. The sheriff's department is coordinating efforts to determine the identities of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding their deaths, emphasizing that the two cases are being investigated separately at this time.