A community is reeling after the body of a young child was found in a dumpster in Los Angeles. There are still a lot of details that are unknown about the child and how they ended up there. Los Angeles police are working diligently to get those details as quickly as possible. But it may take time for medical examiners to perform an autopsy and work with the community to uncover leads. In the meantime, police are speaking out about how difficult a case like this is, due to the age of the victim.
The body of a 3- to 5-year-old child was found on the morning of Saturday, July 12, 2025, in Panorama City, KABC reported. A homeless man reportedly found the child’s body, and asked someone to call for help. When they arrived at the scene, police requested a privacy canopy and blocked off the abandoned parking lot and the dumpster.
“This is horrific and it impacts every single one of us that comes to these scenes, everyone at home who hears about these scenes,” LAPD Detective Meghan Aguilar told KABC. “I don’t know the cause of death of this individual, again, that will be up to the coroner to determine. But no one deserves to be handled in this manner.”
Police believe it’s a suspicious death. The LAPD Juvenile Division-Abused Child Unit was called in to handle the case. Officers began canvassing the area to gain insight into how the child’s body ended up in the dumpster.
A business owner in the area told Fox 11 that his store’s surveillance camera picked up some suspicious activity that morning. Witnesses say they saw a car in the parking lot. Police are looking into the car to see if it’s connected to the body.
The public came together to hold a vigil for the child found in the dumpster, KTLA reported. “It weighs on the heart, definitely, because 3-4 years old, so innocent,” resident Corey Watkins said. “They don’t necessarily know what’s going on, and they’re looking to adults for protection.”
Christian Sanchez, another resident whose family also owns a business in the area, told KTLA his family throws their garbage out in the dumpster where the body was found. “Four years old, I can’t even imagine the pain that little baby went through. Can you imagine?” he said.
LAPD detectives say they’re withholding a lot of details about the case as they interview witnesses. They also don’t want the details to affect future interrogations as they find suspects.
