What to Know
- Police found the body of a 2-year-old girl in Philadelphia's Kemble Park Tuesday morning.
- Police officers could be seen searching wooded areas in the park along Olney Avenue after a caregiver led them there.
- The child's exact identity still needs to be determined.
The body of a missing toddler was found partially buried in a North Philadelphia park before dawn Tuesday.
Philadelphia police said the girl's caretaker was the one who led officers to the child's body around 5 a.m.
The girl, who sources say was 22 months old, was buried in a shallow grave in Kemble Park in the city's Olney section. The park sits across from Central and Girl's high schools.
The child's head was partially above ground when officers arrived, police said. She was also fully clothed — wearing a bright pink shirt.
"It's terrible to see a child meet this kind of end," Philadelphia Police Homicide Capt. John Ryan said.
After daybreak, at least four police vehicles, including a Crime Scene Unit vehicle, could be seen parked on a basketball court and a tent was set up as officers went in and out of wooded areas.
The child's body was removed by the Medical Examiner and taken for an autopsy. Police said there were no visible signs of trauma on the child's body.
Still, the death was ruled a homicide though the exact circumstances of how the child died is still unclear. Police sources said evidence was recovered in an Olney apartment and in another location several blocks away from the crime scene.
The girl was reported missing yesterday, police said, but sources added that the last time she was seen alive was last week.
Detectives are calling the caretaker as a suspect in the case. Investigators are looking for the girl's mother and father, Ryan said. It's unclear where they are and for how long the girl was in the suspect's care.
