Boy’s body recovered from river
The 14-year-old had disappeared in San Fernando during a powerful storm.
The 14-year-old boy who disappeared from San Fernando this month during a powerful storm was found Saturday afternoon on an island in the Los Angeles River, authorities said.
The body of Elias Rodriguez was recovered about 1:15 p.m. Saturday along a stretch of the river in Los Feliz, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Investigators with the L.A. County coroner’s office, however, were still on scene and had not officially identified the body.
Victoria White, a senior police representative at LAPD’s Mission Division, said an unknown person reported seeing a body on the island Saturday, and police and fire personnel responded.
White said the Sylmar boy may have been swept away by the Pacoima Wash that feeds into the L.A. River.
Elias was reported missing Feb. 17, when he failed to return home after school.
Elias was last seen about 1:30 p.m. that day after he left Cesar Chavez Learning Academies in the 1000 block of Arroyo Avenue, in the city of San Fernando, police said. He borrowed his friend’s cellphone and left a message for his mother, saying he was walking home to Sylmar.
Surveillance camera footage in the area shows Elias walking in front of businesses along Glenoaks Boulevard as powerful winds and pounding rain pummeled parts of Southern California.
Police earlier last week scoured the Los Angeles River and found no sign of the teen. On Friday, local and federal police canvassed business owners along Glenoaks Boulevard, handing out photos of the missing boy.
Authorities had offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his recovery.