Container along Central Texas pasture had remains of girl

MADISONVILLE, TX (KTRK) -- Experts are trying to identify the remains of a preschool-age girl found inside a container left along a Central Texas pasture.

The Madison County Sheriff's Office says a person who was mowing grass on Saturday discovered the container near a fence about 40 feet from the edge of an Interstate 45 feeder road. The area is near Madisonville, about 85 miles northwest of Houston.

Sheriff Travis Neeley says the container was likely dumped several months ago. The death has been ruled a homicide.

Preliminary autopsy results Monday indicate the victim was female, age 2 to 5, with black hair more than a foot long. Investigators say the girl's remains had a medical apparatus commonly used with a feeding tube.

Deputies are searching national databases for missing children.