Las Vegas police are investigating a horrific tragedy after the body of a missing two-year-old child was found inside a dumpster early Friday morning.

On Thursday night around 8:25 pm, officers responded to a call on the 400 block of South 15th Street for a missing toddler. Responding officers immediately began searching for the child.

Their search efforts came to a heartbreaking conclusion just after midnight on Friday. At approximately 12:58 am, the missing child was tragically located deceased inside a garbage dumpster in the 1300 block of Lewis Avenue. Medical personnel arrived at the scene and pronounced the child dead.

Investigators determined that the child’s mother, 23-year-old Diaja Smith, was a suspect in the case. Ms. Smith was subsequently arrested and is currently going through the booking process at the Clark County Detention Center. She faces charges of open murder and other potential felonies.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office will officially release the identity of the deceased child, as well as the cause and manner of death.

This is a developing story, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department urges anyone with information to come forward.

Source: News3LV