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Investigators need help identifying girl’s body found dumped in bag along Southern California trail

Posted at 7:41 AM, Mar 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-07 07:41:07-05

LOS ANGELES - Authorities have asked for the public's help in identifying the body of a girl found along a Hacienda Heights equestrian trail on Tuesday.

There are no known motives in the case, which investigators are handling as a suspicious death, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lt. Scott Hoglund said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Detectives released a sketch of the victim—described as a black girl, possibly 8 to 13 years old, about 4 feet 5 inches, about 55 pounds, and "skinny," according to KTLA.

Investigators said the girl was wearing a pink shirt with the words "Future Princess Hero," along with blue leggings with pandas on them, and no shoes.

"We don't have any leads. We don't have any idea who this child is," Lt. Scott Hoglund said.

Los Angeles County workers doing maintenance on the trail found the body around 10 a.m. south of Hacienda Boulevard and Glenmark Drive, near the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple.

Detectives believe the body was left there sometime in the late evening hours on Sunday, March 3.

The girl was found partially inside a black rolling duffel bag, with the upper part of her body protruding from the bag, which was partially zipped. The girl was not bound or tied up, Hoglund said.

Investigators said there were no obvious signs of trauma on her body. It is not known whether the girl had already died when she was placed in the bag.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Detectives have reached out to the Department of Children and Family Services, as well as missing child agencies and surrounding school districts, looking for any possible leads.

"We don't have any information regarding this victim. We need to identify the victim before we can really launch into our investigation, and that's what we're really looking for, is the public's help," Hoglund said. "We don't have any reason for why this happened or how this happened."

Investigators urged anyone with any bit of information, no matter how small, to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers.