A 22-year-old Inglewood man was charged Wednesday with murder for allegedly killing his year-old daughter, whose body was found in the Los Angeles River in Long Beach.
Jayveyon Burley, who remains jailed on $215,000 bond, also was charged with assault on a child causing death. He made a brief court appearance Wednesday, but arraignment was postponed until Jan. 10.
According to police, Burley went to Long Beach on Sunday to pick up his two children, but he had only one child -- his 3-year-old son -- with him when he returned home to his mother's house in the 300 block of North Market Street in Inglewood. His mother grew suspicious and called police, leading to a search in which the year-old girl, Leilani Dream Burley, was found dead in the Los Angeles River near the Ocean Boulevard bridge.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
"My baby always lights up the room with her big beautiful eyes," the child's mother, Lynisha Hull, told NBCLA. "Leilani was only 1 year old. She was full of life, and she was so beautiful and loved."
Mourners, including Hull, attended a vigil for the girl Wednesday night.
Hull said she last saw Leilani burley Sunday evening when Burley came to pick the kids up.
Burley was arrested Monday.
Inglewood police asked anyone with information to contact investigators at 310-412-5246.
