LONG BEACH, Calif., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The body of a 3-week-old baby girl kidnapped by a gunman who wounded her parents and uncle was found in a San Diego dumpster, police said.
San Diego County sheriff's deputies reported that Eliza Delacruz had been found in a dumpster behind a strip mall Sunday afternoon, police in Long Beach, Calif., said. She was snatched at about 6 p.m. Saturday.
A man going through the trash in the dumpster found the newborn's body in a plastic bag surrounded by garbage. The mall is in Imperial Beach and close to the Mexican border.
Police launched a manhunt for the kidnapper, who remained at large Monday afternoon.
The mother and uncle remained in a hospital Monday, listed as in critical but stable condition. The father, described as a veterinarian by a friend, was discharged Sunday.
Lt. Lloyd Cox of the Long Beach police said investigators believe the family was not a random target. But he said the parents and uncle have been unwilling to talk.
"They're afraid of a person coming back again, if they talk, and that they could be the victim of any retaliation," Cox said. "So they're terrified."
Aaron Cruz told KTLA-TV that the man asked him for help immediately after the shooting. He said there was no apparent reason for the crime.
"This family was very peaceful. There's no reason this had to happen," Cruz said.
