Body of missing toddler found

The Associated Press reports:

LANCASTER -- Authorities on Thursday found the body of a toddler believed to be an
18-month-old girl whose mother reported being knocked out by someone in a high desert city and waking up later to discover the child missing.
The case was turned over to homicide detectives, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Pat Nelson.
The 20-year-old mother, whose name was not released, was not in custody and was cooperating, he said.
"At this point I would not term her a suspect. That may change as circumstances develop," Nelson said.
The mother told authorities she last saw her daughter, Emma Leigh Barker, at 5 p.m. Wednesday while putting her into a car seat at Lancaster City Park, Nelson said.
The mother said she was knocked unconscious by someone she didn't see. She told investigators she woke up at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in her car in a parking lot in neighboring Palmdale.
and her daughter was missing, and reported it to sheriff's deputies 30 minutes to an hour later, said Deputy Aura Sierra.
The mother was partially clad and suffering from some head injury when she was interviewed, Nelson said.
Within a few hours several inconsistencies developed, he said.
"Further investigation led unfortunately to the discovery of the body of the toddler in the
Mission Hills area here," he said.
The body was located at 11 a.m. Thursday in an unspecified area described as accessible by roads.
Mission Hills is in the San Fernando Valley along Interstate 5.
While the body had yet to be positively identified, Nelson said investigators were "fairly
confident" it was Emma.