15-year-old girl's body found in industrial area of Compton

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A 15-year-old girl's body was discovered in an industrial area in Compton early Monday morning, Los Angeles County Sheriff's said.

Samantha Bustos was identified as the girl. The discovery was made around 1:30 a.m. on Victoria Street, east of Wilmington Avenue, according to authorities.

Family and friends prayed later in the day near the spot where the victim's body was discovered.

"It's very devastating to be dealing with this," Junior De Jesus, the victim's uncle, said. "My heart breaks right now. It's heartbreaking. It's bad."

Bustos was last seen Friday. Her cousin said she was with her best friend, but they didn't know the two went to a party, and she was last seen with a couple of unknown guys.

Her cousin said Bustos' friend texted him the next day to check on her.

"I had contact with her best friend, she was asking me if she came home," Victor Lopez, Bustos' cousin, said. "We couldn't find her and we started looking for her Saturday morning."

Investigators said a worker walking by around 1:30 a.m. Monday spotted her body behind a bush near a fence.

Investigators said she sustained a traumatic injury to her upper torso, but the exact cause of death has not been released. The case is being treated as a homicide.

Bustos' grandmother said she was a good student, a good friend to everybody. She also warned other young people to be careful, saying your friends may not be your friends.

"There's no way a best friend would leave her other best friend by herself with two guys at 3 in the morning," Lopez said.

Investigators have not identified a suspect.

If you have any relevant information about this incident, you're urged to contact the LASD's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.