Girl Playing In Yard Finds Dismembered Baby

A nine-year-old US girl has found the dismembered remains of a baby while playing in her backyard.

Britany Placencia made the discovery while playing with her dog at home on Saturday afternoon in the Los Angeles suburb of Westmont.

"The dog was sniffing the ball, so I was going to get the ball and I got it," she told CBS Los Angeles.

"I saw the leg, so I just ran to my mom and told her."

Britany's mother thought it might have been a chicken leg, before realising it belonged to a newborn child.

The baby's head was found next to the family's fence.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department homicide detectives said the remains were of a one- to three-day-old child.

"The infant appears to have been dismembered," they said in a statement.

"Significant portions of the body are still missing."

Police have urged local residents to look in their gardens and bins, saying the infant's killer may have discarded the rest of the remains.

Detectives said they would also like to speak with "any females who were recently pregnant, are no longer pregnant, and the baby is absent".