New evidence released in death of 3-week-old Long Beach baby
LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Police released new evidence in the case of a 3-week-old baby found dead in a dumpster after her family members were shot in their Long Beach home in January.
The evidence includes surveillance video and sketches of suspects believed to be involved in the death of Eliza Delacruz.
In the surveillance footage, Eliza and her mother are seen getting off a bus at Del Amo Boulevard at Long Beach Boulevard on Jan. 3 around 4:15 p.m.
As the woman walks home carrying little Eliza, a black SUV pulls up next to her. The woman later told authorities that the driver of the SUV was an African-American woman around 40 years old with long, dark, curly hair. She was seen wearing designer sunglasses on top of her head. She said the woman stopped the car and asked her about her baby. After a brief conversation, Eliza's mother continued to walk home with her child in her arms.
"It was just a basic conversation. We're not gonna get into the specific wording and stuff about the baby itself, nothing about asking for the child, nothing in any indication that there was gonna be a crime occurred less than two hours later," said Lt. Lloyd Cox with Long Beach police.
Investigators located surveillance video from various cameras in the area and also tracked the route of the bus taken by Eliza's mother. After gathering the data, officials discovered that the black SUV had followed the bus while Eliza and her mother were on board.
Detectives described the SUV as a 2006-2011 Land Rover Range Rover with large black rims.
Later that day around 6 p.m., a gunman kidnapped Eliza after shooting and wounding her parents and uncle at their home on the 100 block of West 51st Street. That gunman was described as either a dark-skinned Hispanic male or an African-American male.
The infant was found dead the next day in a dumpster in Imperial Beach in San Diego County. Investigators say a man was digging through the trash and discovered the baby's body face down in a trash bag filled with garbage.
Authorities released sketches of the two suspects - the woman believed to be behind the wheel of the SUV and the gunman who shot Eliza's family members and kidnapped the infant. Investigators do not have a motive for the crime and they do not believe there is any connection between the victims and the suspects.
"We still have not been able to figure out what that relationship is. That's why we've been going through family, friends, relatives, associates of the victims, looking to see any connection to anything," Cox said. "We still believe, based on the overall circumstances, that this family was targeted. We don't know why they were targeted."
Cox also said that investigators have found nothing related to gangs or narcotics in the family's background.
The injured family members have since been released from the hospital, and officials say they've moved away from the area.
A reward of $25,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved.
If you have any information about this case, you're urged to contact the Long Beach Police Department. To remain anonymous, you can call (800) 222-TIPS.
