Carson, CA — One week after two bodies were recovered from the Dominguez Channel in Carson on consecutive days, a young girl remains without a publicly known name — and her story is beginning to stir an emotional response throughout the community.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner has formally listed the child found floating in the channel near Victoria Golf Course on Sept. 1 as Unidentified Doe 557, case number 2026-13873.

According to the department’s unidentified-person record, the girl is believed to have been between 6 and 13 years old. She had brown eyes and short dark brown or black hair. Her race and ethnicity remain unknown.

The Medical Examiner lists her height at approximately 54 inches and her weight at 59 pounds, while additional case notes estimate she appeared to be between 4 feet 4 inches and 4 feet 8 inches tall and between 60 and 85 pounds.

But one week after her discovery, authorities have yet to publicly put a name to the child.

As investigators continue working to identify her, some Carson residents are beginning to rally around the young girl.

John Holloway, founder of the community platform Carson 411, shared an emotional message with residents after a member of the group approached him about helping locate the child’s family and, if necessary, ensuring she eventually receives a dignified burial.

Holloway said that if the child’s identity remains unknown, he hopes the Carson community will remember her as “Carson’s Daughter.”

“You were somebody’s baby. You had a name. You had a birthday. You had a story. And your life mattered,” Holloway wrote.

He urged residents to remain vigilant, share credible information with law enforcement and continue looking for answers that could help investigators restore the child’s identity.

Holloway also said that should financial assistance eventually be necessary to provide the girl with a proper burial, he would ask the community to help and pledged to make the first donation himself.

The sentiment was prompted in part by Carson 411 member Jeanette Tovar, whom Holloway credited with reaching out and asking whether the community could organize to help find the child’s family or assist with burial arrangements if needed.

Holloway also publicly called upon Carson Councilmember Jawane Hilton for assistance should such an effort become necessary.
For now, however, authorities are still trying to determine who the child is.

The girl’s case is one of two death investigations that drew attention across Carson last week after bodies were discovered in the Dominguez Channel on consecutive days.

The second discovery occurred Sept. 2, when Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to the 2000 block of East Sepulveda Boulevard at approximately 8:31 a.m. An adult male was found and pronounced dead at the scene.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner has assigned that investigation case number 2026-13922.

In a response provided directly to The Carson Compass this week, the department said the case remains pending identification and legal next-of-kin notification. Information regarding the individual will become publicly available after both identification and notification have occurred.

The discoveries initially raised questions within the community because the bodies were recovered only one day apart. When The Carson Compass first reported the second discovery, authorities had not identified a connection between the deaths.

Authorities have since said no connection between the two cases has been established.

The cause and manner of death in both cases have not been publicly released.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau continues to investigate the deaths.

For the young girl in particular, identification could become an important step toward answering the larger questions surrounding her death — including who she was, where she came from and how she ended up in the Dominguez Channel.

For Holloway and other residents now following the case, restoring that identity has taken on significance of its own.
“Until we know your name, little one, Carson will remember you,” Holloway wrote.

Anyone with information regarding either investigation is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips may be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

The Carson Compass continues to seek information from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Department of Medical Examiner and will report additional developments as they become available. The newspaper committed in its initial report to continue following both investigations.