Child's Head Surfaces in Chicago Lagoon

Police have found a head in the Chicago lagoon that yielded a toddler's feet and hands over the weekend. Authorities now say the remains belong to an African-American child, aged 2 or 3. The cause of death is not yet clear as the body parts were found in an "advanced state of decomposition." Officers first arrived at the lagoon in Garfield Park on Saturday after a call about a foot floating on the water's surface. The toddler's head was found in subsequent searching on Sunday. The Chicago Tribune reports officers also pulled machinery or tools from the water, but it isn't known if the items relate to the investigation. Police said earlier that a 20-pound weight had also been found.

Authorities note they'll now use DNA, missing-children reports, and fingerprint records from schools to try to identify the child, reports USA Today, though a city official tells WGN he knows of no missing children in the area. A member of the Garfield Park Advisory Council says the park is generally a great area, but drug deals and sex acts do occur in unlit areas of the park secluded by trees. "It wouldn't surprise me that someone would dump that there and no one would see them," he tells the Tribune. A resident adds, "You see some stuff your eyes do not want to believe over there," including condoms, underwear, and "girls half naked," per NBC Chicago. (More Chicago stories.)