HACIENDA HEIGHTS - There's been a big turnout for a vigil honoring a still-unidentified young girl whose body was found this week inside a duffel bag in Hacienda Heights.
The strangers who attended the memorial vigil told CBS-2 they wanted to make sure she's remembered:
"When things like this happened, we need to come together and be a voice for this little girl and especially she doesn't have a family, I think that's important that she is everybody's child," a woman said.
The bag containing the girl's body was found Tuesday morning by workers clearing brush along a hiking trail.
The body of a child thought to be 8 to 13-years-old found Tuesday near a hiking trail in the Hacienda Heights area, prompting an investigation by homicide detectives.
The artist's rendition shows an African American girl about 4’5'' about 55 pounds.
She was wearing a pink top with the words "Future Princess Hero" on it and pants with images of pandas on them.
LASD Homicide releases artists sketch of girl found dead, stuffed in a rollaway bag, on a trail in Hacienda Heights. Victim 8-13 years old 4’5” 55lbs wearing pink shirt and grey patterned pants. Cause of death pending, no ties to missing persons cases in So Cal. @KNX1070 pic.twitter.com/g2PKSZ4CcI
— Pete Demetriou (@knxpete) March 6, 2019The discovery was made about 10:35 a.m. near Hacienda Boulevard and Glenmark Drive, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
"Tragically, the body of what appears to be a young girl was found by county Parks and Recreation staff this morning along the Skyline Trail in Hacienda Heights," according to a statement released by county Supervisor Janice Hahn. "Sheriff's Homicide Bureau detectives are on the scene investigating and my office is receiving updates. I trust they will identify this young victim and find whoever is responsible for this child's death."
Investigators believe the remains were left at that location within the past 24 hours, according to Deputy Trina Schrader of the Sheriff's Information Bureau.
Schrader said she could not immediately confirm reports that the body was found inside a suitcase, but did say that some luggage was found in the area.