A day after authorities identified the little girl found deceased and stuffed inside a duffel bag, the county maintenance worker who initially made the horrific discovery spoke out about the encounter.
The county maintenance worker, who asked not to be identified, spoke to KTLA on Monday, but the interview did not last long. The emotions were too much.
“We started trimming the trees a little bit down the trail, and then we glanced to the left because we started picking up the trash, and we noticed a black duffel bag,” the worker said.
“And then we seen the little girl’s head, but at that point, we thought it was a little boy because you couldn’t really see, like, everything. She was covered up with grass, like the bush was kind of covering her hair, and then she was wrapped up in a blanket, and she was stuffed in a duffel bag,” he said.
When asked what was going through his mind at that time, he simply said, “my kids.”
At that point, he broke down. Fighting back tears, he said although witnessing the scene was excruciating, her face appeared peaceful, as though she was sleeping.
Authorities identified the victim on Sunday as 9-year-old Trinity Love Jones.
Crowds have been flocking to the growing memorial near the site where Jones was found, leaving flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, and posters expressing their love and sadness.
“I just felt overwhelmed. We’re always driving through here to go to the beach and then when I heard that, I felt so bad for the little girl,” Susie Bedell said.
“It was really sad. Why would they do this to a baby?” Delores Zuniga said.
The Coroner’s Office have determined the death to be a homicide, but have not released the exact cause of death. Investigators said there were no obvious signs of trauma on the little girl’s body.
Authorities said they have detained two persons of interest, but did not provide any additional information.
The girl’s father, Antonio Jones, believes her mother and the mother’s boyfriend were involved, even going so far as to say the boyfriend “murdered my youngest princess.”