close
close

Fremont family mourns after 3-year-old child found dead in San Jose – NBC Bay Area

A Fremont family is mourning the loss of their young child.

The mother of three-year-old Ellie Lorenzo reported her missing on Friday after the child’s father was found dead in San Francisco. He had apparently committed suicide.

Ellie’s mother posted online that Ellie loved dancing and meeting new people and that she made friends so easily and spread so much joy everywhere she went.

The child was to be returned to the mother as part of a custody agreement. On Saturday, Ellie’s body was found at the Greenwaste Recycling Center on Charles Street in San Jose.

Ellie’s family has asked for privacy during this time.

Ellie’s family lived in Fremont, but police said it was unclear where and how the child was killed, adding to the already difficult investigation as authorities try to determine who is in charge of the murder.

The San Jose Police Department is currently taking charge of this case.

“We still don’t have a motive. The circumstances need to be clarified and investigated. And once we know where it happened and if there is a jurisdictional issue, we will certainly work well with the authorities in the neighborhood to figure out how best to investigate the incident,” said Sergeant Jorge Garibay of the San Jose police.

Eric Hernandez, who lives near the recycling center, said he couldn’t believe what happened.

“I was sad. Surprised when I heard about the little girl who was found and also the father. It’s quite sad to hear what happened,” he said.