Body of missing 14-year-old found in L.A. River after weeklong search

The body of a 14-year-old boy who disappeared from San Fernando during a powerful storm earlier this month has been found on an island in the Los Angeles River, authorities said.

The body of Elias Rodriguez was recovered about 1:15 p.m. Saturday along a stretch of the river in Los Feliz, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Victoria White, a senior police representative at the LAPD’s Mission Division, said an unknown person reported seeing a body on the island and police and fire personnel subsequently responded.

White said the Sylmar boy may have been swept away by the Pacoima Wash that feeds into the L.A. River.

“There is nothing more painful than the loss of a child, and the thoughts and prayers of all Angelenos are with the loved ones of Elias Rodriguez,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement released Sunday morning. “Words cannot capture the agony that Elias’ grieving family has felt since his disappearance.”

Elias was reported missing Feb. 17, when he failed to return home after school.

At a news conference Saturday night, police said the L.A. River was flowing at 70 mph at the time of the storm and that the body appeared badly battered. That means it could take some time for the coroner to make an official identification.

Elias’ distraught family members went to the scene of the discovery.

The Los Angeles River is often bone dry, but during rains, it can become dangerous.

In 1992, the infamous televised drowning of 15-year-old Adam Bischoff in the rain-swollen river prompted efforts to improve swift-water rescues in Los Angeles.

Last year, two teenage boys drowned in a section of the river near Highland Park. In 2006, a 14-year-old boy drowned after falling into the river while fishing with his friends in Glassell Park.

Elias was last seen about 1:30 p.m. Feb. 17 after he left Cesar Chavez Learning Academies in the 1000 block of Arroyo Avenue in the city of San Fernando, police said. He borrowed a friend’s cellphone and left a message for his mother, saying he was walking home to Sylmar, authorities said.

Surveillance video in the area showed Elias walking in front of businesses along Glenoaks Boulevard as powerful winds and pounding rain pummeled parts of Southern California.

Police earlier this week scoured the river and found no sign of the teen. On Friday, local and federal officers canvassed business owners along Glenoaks Boulevard, handing out photos of the missing boy.

Authorities had offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his recovery.

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Twitter: @bposton

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UPDATES:

11:25 a.m.: This article was updated with background on the river.

10:10 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Feb. 26, 7:54 a.m.: This article was updated with information from a police news conference.

This article was originally published on Feb. 25 at 5:45 p.m.