Body found in duffel bag identified as nine-year-old girl

The body of a girl found inside a duffel bag on a popular Los Angeles hiking trail has been identified as nine-year-old Trinity Love Jones.

Maintenance workers made the gruesome discovery on Tuesday night in Hacienda Heights, on the eastern fringe of the Californian city.

The body had been partially stuffed into the bag before being discarded on an embankment used by walkers and horseriders.

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Investigators believe the remains had been dumped less than 48 hours before they were found, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The discovery of the unidentified child “drew widespread attention after detectives released a composite sketch of her in the clothes she was found in”, NBC reports. This included “a long-sleeved pink shirt that said ‘future princess hero’ and gray pants with pandas on them”.

Relatives contacted police over the weekend, and a DNA test confirmed that the remains were those of Jones.

“Words can’t explain what I’m feeling right now,” her father, Antonio Jones, told local news stations KTLA, describing his daughter as “full of character, full of life, full of joy”.

“I just want answers. I just want justice,” he added.

Two people are currently being held by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as persons of interest in her death, CBS reports.

Although her identity has now been established, the circumstances of Jones’ death remain unclear.

The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled the death a homicide, but the sheriff’s department has withheld the release of any further details. The department is set to hold a press conference tomorrow.

Retired LA County sheriff’s sergeant Dan Scott told the Los Angeles Times that while child killings - the majority of them linked to domestic abuse - were all too common, it is “extremely rare to see a child’s body dumped”.