Samantha Bustos had suffered a "traumatic" injury to her body when she died, police said. (GoFundMe)
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. launched a homicide investigation Monday after authorities discovered the body of a missing 15-year-old California girl who'd reportedly suffered a “traumatic” injury.
Samantha Bustos’ body was located early Monday morning near Dominguez Hill Industrial Park, three days after she was last seen alive, KTLA reported. Investigators told the news station the teen was found face down and hidden in the bushes.
The homicide investigation was launched after officials discovered Bustos had suffered a “traumatic” injury to her upper torso prior to her death. It’s unclear what caused the injury and the official cause of death was not released, pending the ongoing investigation.
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Police are reportedly looking for surveillance video from a business near where the teen’s body was located.
Bustos’ cousin Susan Lainez told KTLA the teen was with friends Friday afternoon in Compton, but never made it home. Bustos’ cellphone had been shut off by midnight Saturday after repeated calls went unanswered, Lainez said.
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The family searched for the teen “day and night” but couldn’t locate her, prompting them to report her missing on Sunday.
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