Infant’s Body Found Floating in Aqueduct

An infant believed to be as young as a few days old was found dead Sunday morning, floating in a section of the California Aqueduct near Palmdale, authorities said.

A man who had been fishing in the aqueduct called Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies at 11 a.m. after discovering the baby in the brown waters of the aqueduct. The body appeared to have been in the water for several days and had begun to decompose, authorities said.

Sheriff’s investigators could not determine the infant’s gender, but initially believed it was a girl. The coroner’s office will conduct an examination of the body in an effort to determine the cause of death as well as its gender and identity.

The infant was discovered near a pumping station in a segment of the aqueduct accessible from a dirt road off Sierra Highway. The area is sparsely populated, with only a few trailer homes nearby.

The aqueduct is fenced off, with signs warning: “Danger--Stay Alive by Staying Out.”

Sheriff’s officials in Palmdale said the aqueduct periodically has been a dumping ground for bodies and stolen cars, but did not recall an infant ever having been found there.