Body Found Near Wilmington Marina May Be Man Swept Away In Channel

WILMINGTON (CBSLA.com/AP) — A body discovered in the Port of Los Angeles water Saturday, near a marina in Wilmington, may be that of a man who was swept downstream earlier this week, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The body was spotted in an empty boat slip at about 9:10 a.m. by a citizen, according to Lt. Ken Hawkes of the Los Angeles Port police. The victim's gender was not immediately known.

Two Los Angeles Fire Department fireboats were dispatched to Leeward Bay Marina, 411 N. Henry Ford Ave., to assist the port police in taking the body out of the water, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

LA Port Police Lt. Ken Hawkes told the Times newspaper that the body matches that of a man who vanished on Monday in Gardena, about eight miles from the marina. The man was reported missing after his girlfriend was rescued from the Dominguez Channel. Authorities believe he was swept downstream.

The couple was believed to have entered the channel from a homeless encampment and authorities say the water was flowing at about 35 mph.

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