The body of a 3- or 4-year-old boy was found in a Panorama City parking lot Saturday morning, July 12, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
At around 7 a.m., officers responded to a report of a dead body in the 8200 block of Van Nuys Boulevard, south of Rose Boulevard, department spokesman Officer Charles Miller said.
Broadcast reports indicated the child was found inside a trash bin.
The Juvenile Division-Abused Child Unit is investigating the death.
The investigators are canvassing the surrounding area in search of surveillance footage and potential witnesses, Miller said. It wasn’t immediately known if the boy had been reported missing.
Medical examiners were on scene working to determine the cause of death.
No further information was immediately available.
Passers-by interviewed by a videographer with RMG News were shocked to learn about the discovery.
David Garcia told the videographer he was on his way to get breakfast on Saturday morning when he noticed the police vehicles and the white tent that authorities had set up near some dumpsters in the otherwise empty lot.
He noted that the area, with a fence around it, is typically locked, and asked, “Who does this to a 3- or 4-year-old?”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
City News Service contributed to this report.
