

"Significant portions" of a dismembered infant's body remain missing as authorities continue their investigation into its death in South Los Angeles.

On Saturday morning around 10 a.m., 9-year old Britany Placencia was playing in her backyard in the 1500 block of West 104th Street when she stumbled upon a body part. "The dog was sniffing the ball... so I was going to get the ball and I got it," she explained to NBC 4. "I saw the leg, so I just ran to my momma and told her."

Britany's mother soon discovered the dismembered head in another part of the yard and called called authorities. L.A. County Sheriff's deputies, detectives, and officials with the coroner's office arrived and confirmed the body parts belonged to those of an infant no more than 3-days old.

"This was kind of shocking to me, when you hear anything about an infant," said neighbor Lawrence Alston. Investigators searched his property and dug through his trash, but found nothing.

According to a press release from the Sheriff's Department, neighbors on the 1500 block of West 104th Street are being asked to search their property and trash for additional remains. Detectives are also looking to speak with any women who may have been recently pregnant but are no longer pregnant without a child.

Anybody with information about the case is being asked to call homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.