$25,000 reward offered in baby’s death, shooting of her family

Los Angeles County supervisors approved a $25,000 reward Tuesday for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the shooting of three adults and the kidnapping of a baby whose body was later discarded her body in a San Diego County dumpster.

In a pair of tweets Monday evening, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe had said he would make a motion Tuesday for a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of whoever left 3-week-old Eliza Delacruz in a trash bin and shot her parents and uncle in Long Beach. Two hours later, Knabe tweeted he would seek $25,000 instead.

The news came on the heels of a Long Beach Police Department news conference in which Chief Robert Luna acknowledged that investigators were hitting roadblocks in the case. The description of the shooter is vague and interviews with the three shooting victims have offered few clues.

Eliza’s body was found Sunday in a plastic bag amid trash in an Imperial Beach dumpster, just off a freeway near the Mexican border. Eliza was abducted Saturday night after her parents and uncle were wounded by gunfire in Long Beach.

“To anyone who saw anything, we need you to come forward,” Luna said Monday. “We really, really need your help in helping us catch this coward and get him off the streets.”

Authorities say the violence was not random. But police expressed frustration about the lack of information about the shooter. The possibility that the shooter headed for Mexico is “on the table,” Luna said.

“Any small piece of information could be the piece of the puzzle we need to solve this case,” he added.

Investigators will work with a sketch artist to develop a composite image of the suspect, Luna said. Authorities are investigating whether any surveillance cameras picked up footage in Imperial Beach, and the Long Beach police are working with the FBI to solve the crime.

Makeshift memorials have been set up near the dumpster where Eliza’s body was found and near her family’s Long Beach home.

“Everyone is in shock still that this happened to our friend,” said Aaron Cruz, 21, a friend of Delacruz’s father. “There are no words to describe it.”

Authorities are urging anyone who may know something about the case to call the Long Beach Police Department Communications Center at (562) 435-6711. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or text TIPLA plus the tip to 274637 or go to www.LACrimeStoppers.org.

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