Police believe body found in bayou is missing Houston girl

HOUSTON – Authorities on Monday waited to learn whether the body of a girl who was found in a Houston bayou was that of a 2-year-old who had been reported missing by her family.

Authorities suspect foul play was involved in the death and are approaching the case as a murder investigation, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said.

Acevedo said Sunday that there is a high probability the body is that of Maliyah Bass, who went missing on Saturday as she played in her apartment complex’s playground.

An autopsy was scheduled for Monday.

A jogger spotted the body in Brays Bayou in an area southeast of the University of Houston that is about 17 miles west of Maliyah’s family’s home. The bayou runs within a mile of the apartment complex, police said. A water rescue team with the Houston Fire Department pulled the body from the bayou.