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Los Angeles County authorities seek to identify child and man found dead in Dominguez Channel

Investigators are treating the discoveries of two separate bodies found miles apart in the waterway as unrelated incidents.

Updated Sep 4, 2026 · 00:18 UTC1 reports

The short version

Los Angeles County investigators are attempting to identify a young girl and an adult man discovered dead in the Dominguez Channel on consecutive days.
The child's severely decomposed remains were recovered Tuesday in Carson, while the man was found Wednesday several miles away.
Sheriff's officials stated there is currently no established link between the two deaths, and autopsies remain pending to determine causes of death.

The body of an unidentified girl estimated to be between 6 and 13 years old was found floating in the Dominguez Channel near a bike path in Carson on Tuesday.[ABC News]
Medical examiner personnel described the deceased girl as having brown eyes and short dark brown or black hair, noting her remains were in a state of severe decomposition.[ABC News]
A second body, identified as a Black man believed to be in his 50s, was recovered Wednesday morning several miles away in the same channel.[ABC News]
Officials indicated the man appeared to have been dead for less than 24 hours with no obvious signs of foul play or trauma.[ABC News]
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is treating both cases as separate investigations after finding no initial connection between them.[ABC News]

The identities of both individuals and their specific causes of death remain unknown pending completed autopsy examinations.[ABC News]
Investigators have not determined how long the young girl had been in the waterway prior to discovery.[ABC News]