Missing Long Beach baby found dead in San Diego County dumpster

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- The 3-week-old baby taken from her Long Beach home after her parents and uncle were shot was found in a dumpster in San Diego County, Long Beach police confirmed Sunday.

San Diego County Sheriff's Department reached out to Long Beach police at about 4:30 p.m. about a baby's body found behind a restaurant in the 600 block of Palm Drive in Imperial Beach. Long Beach detectives traveled down to San Diego County to investigate and confirmed that the body belonged to 3-week-old Eliza Delacruz, who was taken after her parents and an uncle were injured in a shooting.

San Diego sheriff's deputies said a homeless man digging through a dumpster found the baby's body face down inside a garbage bag.

The search for baby Delacruz began after authorities responded at 6 p.m. Saturday to a home on the 100 block of West 51st Street and found the infant's mother, father and uncle suffering from gunshot wounds.

Detectives believe an adult male suspect may have taken Delacruz and fled. The relationship between the suspect and victims is unknown. The motive was still under investigation, but detectives say they do not believe the shooting was a random act of violence.

"It appears to be very personal," Long Beach Police Lt. Lloyd Cox said. "It was not a random act that someone just picked this house to kidnap an infant from."

Neighbor Evelyn Eves was shocked to hear about the kidnapping.

"We haven't had any break-ins or anything like that at since I've been here for 20 years," Eves said.

The mother and an uncle remain in critical but stable condition at the hospital. The father of the baby has been released.

Anyone with information is asked to call Long Beach police at (562) 435-6711.