Corona-The body of an 8-year old girl, missing from her home since Saturday, was found by a yard worker near the Main St. train depot.
Alan King, night foreman, came across the body of Amy Garret while doing routine checks of the breaking system on a Santa Fe owned train departing to Phoenix, Az. The body of the girl was found in an area normally used for illegal trash dumping, ten feet from the eastbound rail line.
“At first glance I thought it was just more garbage someone had left there. Then when I saw a shoe I figured it was a homeless person sleeping. It wasn’t until I got up close and saw the blonde hair that I knew it was a girl’s body,” King said. “I’ve got a daughter of my own younger than her. It’s a terrible thing.”
The girl’s parents, John and Morgan Garret, first reported their daughter missing when the mother went into the girl’s room Saturday morning and found that she wasn’t in her bed. When police arrived at the home, they noticed that the screen had been removed form the girl’s window.
Family and friends of the Garret’s were still being questioned about the disappearance, along with neighbors, to determine if there had been any unusual activity throughout the neighborhood recently.
Police Chief Daniel Steele gave a statement at the crime screen.
“It appears that the body of the young girl found near the railway, in the early morning hours of June 30, was indeed that of the missing child, Amy Garret. Upon arrival, the Corona police department was able to make a positive identification of the body through pictures the family had provided when she was first reported missing. It also appears that she was murdered and not struck by a train. The cause of death was strangulation and the device used, was found still around the girls neck. Our hearts go out to the Garret family, and this station vows to do everything in our power to bring Amy’s killer to justice.”
He also added that it was still too early into the investigation to rule in or out any suspects who may be involved in the girl’s death.
Another young girl, Melissa Brown, has been missing from her home since June 21st. When asked if the two cases might be related, Chief Steele said that he hoped not, but was looking into every lead possible.
Amy Garret was a student at Lincoln Elementary School on Fullerton Ave. She had just completed the second grade.