2 detained in connection with girl's body found in duffel bag along hiking trail

Amy Powell Image
Monday, March 11, 2019
2 detained in connection with girl's body found in Hacienda Heights
Two people have been detained in connection with a girl whose body was found on a Hacienda Heights hiking trail, the sheriff's department said.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS, California -- Two people have been detained in connection with a girl whose body was found on a hiking trail in California, the sheriff's department said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed the identity of the victim as 9-year-old Trinity Love Jones of Los Angeles County.

"Investigators have detained two persons of interest in this case and they are actively continuing their investigation," the sheriff's department wrote in a press release.

Trinity Love Jones has been identified as the girl portrayed in a sketch after her body was found near a hiking trail in Hacienda Heights.
Trinity Love Jones has been identified as the girl portrayed in a sketch after her body was found near a hiking trail in Hacienda Heights.
LASD images

The identity of the two people has not been released.

The announcement came hours after a family came forward identifying the girl as Trinity. The sheriff's department said later Sunday night that the county medical examiner had confirmed that identity.

A sketch shows a girl whose body was found on a trail in Hacienda Heights on March 5, 2019.
A sketch shows a girl whose body was found on a trail in Hacienda Heights on March 5, 2019.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

The family put up a makeshift memorial for Trinity near where her body was found in a rollaway duffel bag on March 5.

Antonio Jones, who said he is Trinity's father, described the girl as "fun, loving, big heart, bubbly."

"Little girl could've been whatever she wanted to be in life," he said.

The memorial at the site is adorned with balloons and teddy bears and declares "Rest In Heaven Our Trinity Love Jones."

Her body was found on a hiking trail south of Hacienda Boulevard and Glenmark Drive.

Officials said it appeared the body had been pushed off the edge of the roadway down an embankment onto an equestrian trail within 24 hours of the discovery by local workers doing maintenance on the trail.

Trinity was pronounced dead at the scene and the coroner's office later ruled her death a homicide. The exact cause of death is being withheld.

Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.