Child's Body Found In Delta-Mendota Canal

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Merced County Sheriff's Department tells Action News the body of a child matching the description of Juliani Cardenas was found Tuesday morning in the Delta-Mendota Canal near Santa Nella in Merced County -- just west of Interstate 5.

Investigators say the physical description and the clothing found on the body matches that of the missing boy.

The area where the body was found is 28-miles from the location near Patterson where the car used in the kidnapping of the four-year-old was pulled from the Delta-Mendota Canal on Friday.

Police say his mother's ex-boyfriend, Jose Rodriguez, kidnapped the four-year-old two weeks ago. Tuesday, Sheriff Adam Christianson announced there is now a homicide warrant out for the arrest of Jose Rodriguez -- although they believe he's also in the canal.

Divers called off their search in the Delta-Mendota Canal just days after they recovered Rodriguez's car. They did not find Juliani or Rodriguez inside the Toyota.

Search teams on the ground and in the air focused their search for the four-year-old on a 100-mile stretch of the canal downstream from where the car was found.

Merced County authorities say the body found this morning matches a physical and clothing description of Juliani and are now conducting a D.N.A. test. Authorities will not officially I.D. the body until they receive the D.N.A. results  but they do believe they have found Juliani Cardenas.

Stay with Action News and ABC30.com for updates on this breaking story.

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PRESS RELEASE

A small child was pulled from the Delta Mendota Canal who's physical and clothing description match that of the missing Amber Alert child from Stanislaus County. No positive identification has been made and will not be made until DNA testing is done. More information will follow shortly.

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