A body found in the Los Angeles River over the weekend has been identified as a missing 14-year-old boy who vanished from San Fernando amid a powerful storm that hit the area more than a week ago, the L.A. County coroner’s office confirmed Tuesday, three days after the grim discovery was made.
Elias Rodriguez is seen in a photo provided by family members.
Family members, friends and community members were out searching for Elias Rodriguez Saturday when, about 1:15 p.m., one of the volunteers discovered a body lying face down on a small island in the river near the 5 Freeway in Los Feliz.
The Los Angeles Police Department had worked throughout the day Saturday to properly investigate the scene and to rule out foul play, but were unable to confirm the victim’s identity without a coroner’s report.
The body, which was recovered around 9 p.m. that day, had been badly battered from traveling down the canal through the rushing water, according to police. The coroner’s office said previously they would have to use dental records to make a positive identification.
In a statement Sunday morning, Mayor Eric Garcetti shared his condolences with Elias’ family.
“There is nothing more painful than the loss of a child, and the thoughts and prayers of all Angelenos are with the loved ones of Elias Rodriguez,” the mayor said in the statement. “Words cannot capture the agony that Elias’ grieving family has felt since his disappearance. I’ve asked my Crisis Response Team, who have been with the family, to do everything possible to help them through what is surely their worst nightmare.”
Elias’ family remained at the scene through the evening as they awaited confirmation that the body was that of the missing teen.
Elias was last seen walking home from school in the 1000 block of Arroyo Street on Friday, Feb. 17 — the same day a powerful storm hit Southern California.
Pahola Mascorro, mother of missing teen Elias Rodriguez, at a police news conference on Feb. 25, 2017. (Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
In a Saturday news conference, LAPD Capt. Peter Casey guessed that Rodriguez did not use an overpass while walking home from school that day and instead traversed the Pacoima Wash, a path he said is common with most of the high school students. The Pacoima Wash feeds into the Tujunga Wash, which is a tributary of the L.A. River.
Elias attended the Cesar E. Chavez Learning Academies in the city of San Fernando. The school is located just a few blocks from his grandparents’ house, and he would usually go there once classes were done for the day.
The teen called his mother from a friend’s phone the day he disappeared, but she didn’t pick up because she didn’t recognize the number, LAPD Lt. Kathleen Burns said at a news conference on Friday. Elias left a voicemail saying he was walking home, she added.
Burns noted a powerful storm had swept the region the day he disappeared, and about 5 inches of rain fell in the area.
Investigators had searched a nearby wash several times over a period of days as they tried to determine whether the boy’s disappearance was the result of something “unfortunate” happening, or if it involved foul play, according to the lieutenant.
Family members described the boy’s absence as uncharacteristic, saying Elias had never run away from home before. His aunt, Jessenia Vega, said he would never leave his mother, who has been undergoing radiation and chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer.
The FBI, LAPD, the San Fernando Police Department and the Los Angeles School Police Department have all been working on the investigation into the disappearance of the teenager.
A map by the Los Angeles Times graphics desk shows where Elias Rodriguez was last spotted and where his body was found on Feb. 25, 2017.
from KTLA http://ift.tt/2lT41qF
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