Father charged after baby daughter is found dead in LA River

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — An Inglewood man was charged Wednesday with killing his 1-year-old daughter, who was found in the Los Angeles River, authorities said.

Jayveyon Burley, 22, was charged with one count each of murder and assault on a child causing death. He appeared in court Wednesday but his arraignment was continued to January, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said in a statement.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Burley had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

On Sunday, Burley picked up his 3-year-old son and his 1-year-old daughter, Leilani Burley, from their mother’s home in Long Beach, prosecutors said.

The girl’s grandmother called police that evening when her son, who lives with her, returned home with only the boy, authorities said.

Police began a search for the missing girl. Her body was found Monday in the Los Angeles River at the river’s southern end in Long Beach, authorities said.

Police didn’t immediately release the specific cause of her death.

“The murder of a child is absolutely horrific. Babies are helpless and rely on their parents for everything. Children should never lose their life at the hands of their father,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “While we know there is nothing we can do to heal this extraordinary trauma, we will hold this person accountable for his callous actions.”