Officials: Girl Found Dead on Beach Likely From Boston

Ever since the remains of a young girl were found on a Boston beach on June 25, investigators have been endlessly combing through leads in an effort to uncover her identity. Now nearly two months later, some important evidence has surfaced.

Investigators believe the girl was four years old when she died. She was discovered in a trash bag on Deer Island in Boston Harbor by a woman walking a dog. Police found the child dressed in white leggings and wrapped in a zebra-print blanket.

After officials found the girl’s pants and blanket to be coated in pollen, they were sent off for testing. According to the Suffolk County DA’s office, the results link the brown-eyed, brown-haired child to the Boston area.

“The amount and the types of pollen that were on those items suggest that she was from the Boston area,” the Suffolk County DA spokesman Jake Wark, told NBC News.

Because the pollen residue is native to the area, investigators believe the girl was placed on the beach, as opposed to her having washed in from the ocean.

“At least it’s a geographic location that we can target, as opposed to the entire world,” Wark added.

Thousands of tips from across the county and world were sent into investigators after a computer-generated image of the child went viral on social media.

Those who conducted an autopsy on the child were unable to determine a cause of death as no signs of injury could be found.

MassDOT has set up 84 billboards around the area to help with the investigation. The billboards feature the child’s image, the case’s anonymous text-a-tip line and the number for a phone tip line.

The public is urged to share any tips they may have with investigators. The public can text anonymous tips by sending the keyword GIRL to 67283. They can also phone a new 24-hour hotline by calling 617-396-5655.