Second girl’s body found in Florida canal hours after first, police say
LAUDERHILL, Fla. — Hours after Lauderhill police pulled a young girl’s body out of a canal behind an apartment complex Tuesday, a second girl’s body was found, officials said.
Police found the second girl’s body in the same canal, just east of where they discovered the first.
Police originally did not suspect foul play after finding the first girl, but Lauderhill Police Lt. Michael Santiago said officials are now treating it as a homicide.
Santiago said as detectives questioned neighbors, they learned the first girl found Tuesday was seen with another young girl Monday. Police had no missing person reports for two young girls, Santiago said.
The neighborhood is a place where children frequently drop a line, hoping to snare a fish from the brown waters of the canal. But that’s where Lawna Johnson discovered the body of the first young girl on Tuesday.
A mystery remains about who these girls are, where they are from and how they wound up in the canal in Lauderhill.
Johnson had taken a seat out by the canal about noon Tuesday when she noticed the body of the girl, perhaps as young as 10, floating in the canal.
Johnson called out to her son: “That’s a child,” the 51-year-old said. Johnson, who has lived in the neighborhood for four years, called 911.
”It’s just upsetting,” she said. “I see things on TV; I ain’t never seen something real like that.”
The canal abuts the Habitat II community on Northwest 21st Street, just a few blocks from Royal Palm Elementary School.
Residents described the canal as gathering spot for many but said they hadn’t heard any reports about a child missing from the neighborhood.
Santiago said the first girl was Black, shorter than 5 feet tall and wore her hair in short, dark twists. Santiago said she was between the ages of 10 and 13. She wore jean shorts and a gray shirt that had rainbow lettering of the word “Dance.” She was not wearing shoes.
The body was removed from the canal about 2:45 p.m. Residents gathered in groups early Tuesday trying to figure out who the girl may be.
Children, neighbors said, are usually running around and playing together outside on a typical day. Many children live in the complex and ride bikes near the canal.
Tara Marshall, 25, said she walked out of her apartment Tuesday to see police and crime scene tape. She immediately began to cry.
”It was like a regular day for us until we came outside,” Marshall said. Marshall said there’s rarely any commotion in the complex, aside from holidays and cookouts with families and friends.
Authorities ask anyone with information about the girls to call Lauderhill Police Department at (954) 497-4700.
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(Staff writer Chris Perkins contributed to this report.)
