San Ysidro
Plumbing equipment and clothes discovered across the street from where a 9-year-old girl was found slain may help police discover the identity of her killer, authorities said Wednesday.
Laura Arroyo disappeared on the night of June 19 after answering the door of her family’s San Ysidro apartment.
Her body was found the next morning about 5 miles from her home in an industrial complex at 1151 Bay Blvd., Chula Vista.
Across the street, police found rolls of new copper tubing, several plastic plumbing fittings, some shovels, plumbing tools and clothes, which included a pair of jeans, a light blue T-shirt and a blue baseball cap that has the word “Maui” on it, said Lt. Merlin Wilson.
“We have nothing that links it to the killing,” Wilson conceded, but the equipment is not trash that someone would leave behind, he said. “It’s property that would have had to be stolen,” he said.
Finding the owner of the property may help police get a break on the case, Wilson said.
Police decided to release the information Wednesday because they have few leads. Ten investigators are now on the case, Wilson said.
Funeral services for the girl will be held at 2 p.m. today at Church of the Most Precious Blood in Chula Vista.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
