A forensic sketch and missing-person checks are part of the investigation after the unidentified child was recovered Tuesday.
CARSON, Calif. — Los Angeles County investigators are working to identify a young girl whose body was recovered near the Dominguez Channel, using a forensic sketch, missing-person checks and surveillance video as they try to determine where she came from and how she died.
The girl was found Tuesday near the Dominguez Channel Bike Path in Carson after a person at nearby Victoria Golf Course reported seeing a body floating downstream. Authorities said the child remained unidentified Thursday, making identification one of the central tasks facing sheriff’s homicide detectives and the county medical examiner.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner estimated that the girl was between 6 and 13 years old. Authorities said she had brown eyes and short dark brown or black hair. Her body was in an advanced state of decomposition when it was recovered, and officials had not determined her cause or manner of death.
Sheriff’s Homicide Lt. Daniel Vizcarra said investigators do not know where the girl entered the channel. Because the body was moving downstream when it was seen, the location where it was recovered does not necessarily identify where she entered the water or where events leading to her death may have occurred.
A sheriff’s sketch artist was preparing a composite intended to show what the girl may have looked like. Investigators also were contacting neighboring law enforcement agencies to determine whether any missing-person reports matched the limited physical description available to authorities.
Detectives were canvassing areas along the channel and checking surveillance cameras for information that could help establish a timeline. Officials had not announced the girl’s race and said additional information could become available through the medical examiner’s examination.
The discovery occurred shortly after noon Tuesday near the 20000 block of South Avalon Boulevard, close to Victoria Golf Course. Deputies and Los Angeles County firefighters responded after the report from the golf course area and recovered the girl from the water.
A separate death investigation began the following morning when authorities found an adult man near the Dominguez Channel several miles away around East Sepulveda Boulevard. Sheriff’s officials said the man was believed to be Black and in his 50s or 60s. He also had not been publicly identified.
Authorities said there were no obvious signs of trauma or foul play in the man’s death and estimated that he had been dead for less than 24 hours before he was found. Autopsies were pending in both cases, and investigators said no connection had been established between the two deaths.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau is handling both investigations with separate teams. For the girl’s case, detectives continue to focus on establishing her identity, determining where she entered the channel and learning the circumstances that led to her death.
Author note: Last updated September 4, 2026.