Authorities in Carson said they’ve discovered no link between the death of a young girl found floating in the Dominguez Channel and a man found dead in the same waterway the next day.
“No connection has been established between the two incidents,” sheriff’s Homicide Bureau detective Lt. Daniel Vizcarra said at a Thursday morning news conference also attended by Carson Mayor Pro-Tem Cedric Hicks.
The girl was found around noon Tuesday unresponsive and floating in the water 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 identification remains unconfirmed, Vizcarra said, adding that it was unclear where the girl may have first entered the channel.
Then, around 8 a.m. Wednesday, a man’s body was found when deputies responded to a report from a worker at a nearby refinery of an unresponsive person in the Dominguez Channel in the 2100 block of East Sepulveda Boulevard, which is just west of the Long Beach city limits, according to the sheriff’s department.
The man appeared to be in his 50s or 60s, according to another sheriff’s homicide detective, Lt. Chris Oakley.
The man, who is thought to have died within 24 hours of being found and showed no obvious signs of trauma or foul play, was pronounced dead at the scene and was not immediately identified, Oakley said.
There was no homeless activity in the area to speak of, the investigators said.
The investigations into the deaths are being conducted separately, Capt. Alise Norman of the sheriff’s Carson Station said.
A forensic artist is working on a sketch of what the girl looked like when alive. Detectives were checking missing persons reports and canvassing the area in the hope of finding witnesses or video that could help the investigations.
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.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with information from a 10 a.m. news conference on Thursday.