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Bodies Of Two Children Found In Delray Beach Canal

DELRAY BEACH (CBS4) - The canal that separates Boca Raton from Delray Beach near I-95 was the sight of two gruesome discoveries Wednesday. Within 6 and a half hours, police discovered the bodies of two children stuffed into two separate bags.

The first discovery came around 9 a.m. when a resident noticed a duffel bag floating in the water. Inside, was the body of an African-American girl believed to be between the ages of 6 and 10.

As police divers with Delray Beach and Boca Raton searched the canal in the afternoon, they noticed a suitcase near the canal bank about a half mile west from where the girl's body was found. Inside the suitcase was the body of an African American boy between the ages of 10 and 12.

"It's horrific to think that these two children that something happened to them and this is the way that they were found," Delray Beach Police Sgt. Nicole Guerriero said. "It's absolutely devastating for us."

The little girl is described as having braids with clear and white beads. The girl was wearing a shirt with short sleeves, dark pants and Polo sneakers.

The boy is openly described as wearing dark shorts.

Investigators say the children could be from anywhere. Police have not been able to identify the children at this time, even though they have checked national reports of missing children and have brought in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for assistance.

"Somebody is missing these children," Sgt. Guerriero said. "There's gotta be a grandmother, an aunt, a teacher -- somebody who knows that these children are missing."

Police are not sure how long the bodies were in the water or how the children died. They did say that the bodies were intact. The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner will perform autopsies to determine how the children died.

"We need to know who these kids are so we can go about finding out who would do this horrific thing to these two children," Sgt. Guerriero said.

Police divers will be return to the canal Thursday morning to search for evidence. If you have any information on who these children are or how they died, you are asked to call detectives at the Delray Beach Police Department at (561) 243 7828 or (561) 243 6220.

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