Girl in Church Lot Was Cut By Her Parent, Police Say

The discovery in bright morning sunlight was grim: a passerby making a shortcut through a Long Beach church parking lot found the bodies of a girl and a man, and blood everywhere.

Long Beach Police Department said the 9-year-old girl was killed with lacerations allegedly made by her father or stepfather, who had cut himself on several parts of his body. The man was hospitalized in custody, and was in stable condition and will be charged with murder and jailed, police said.

Department spokesperson Nancy Pratt said the girl and parent would not immediately be named, and the L.A. County Coroner's office told media it was still trying to contact other relatives.

"The preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect and victim, both Long Beach residents, shared a parent/child relationship," Pratt said  "It is believed that the suspect caused these injuries to the victim and then attempted to commit suicide."

But a motive for the attack is unknown at this time and the investigation remains ongoing.

Earlier Saturday, Pratt had confirmed the location of the bodies was near Los Altos United Methodist Church, which is located on Willow Avenue near the 405 Freeway, but could offer few preliminary details.

But reporters on the scene interviewed the first 9-1-1 caller, Nancy Eomuria, and a neighbor several blocks from the park heard about the case. There was another woman who lived a few blocks away, but she told Eyewitness that her husband had seen an adult man and a little girl waling down the street Friday night, and found it odd enough to consider callling the police. Sadly, he did not all police.

``I just thought they were two bodies that were dumped there,'' said
Nancy Eomurian, who called 911 and who was interviewed on camera by ABC local affiliate. ``He was ... conscious looking back toward me,
but there was blood everywhere.''

City News Service reported that the bodies were face down, but did not sight a source.

In the Eyewitness News Report, the station said:

"Police looked for clues in a pick-up truck parked outside Linda Jones's house three blocks from where the girl's body was found. Jones says she and her husband were home Friday night and heard car doors slamming. Jones's husband looked outside and saw a man walking away with a young girl.

"He said 'I actually thought about going after them,'" she said. "Just because it was unusual, it was so late at night. But he didn't do that."

The suspect will be formally arrested on suspicion of murder, charged and jailed once he can be released from the hospital, police spokeswoman Pratt said.