Tragic end to search for missing 60-year-old grandmother of 9

The body of a woman found floating in the Dominguez Channel in Carson last month has been identified as that of a missing 60-year-old grandmother, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The Los Angeles County medical examiner identified the woman as Prisciliana Rose Douglas of Los Angeles.

Douglas' body was found floating in the channel July 28, three days before her family reported her missing to police.

At the time, Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide detectives said the body showed “obvious signs of trauma” and launched an investigation to determine the circumstances behind her death.

Family members said that they asked detectives with the LAPD and the Sheriff's Department whether the woman found in the channel was Douglas, but that detectives told them it was unlikely.

Unaware that it was indeed Douglas’ body, the family filed a missing person report with the LAPD on July 31.

They told the Police Department that Douglas, a mother of seven and a grandmother of nine, was last seen leaving her apartment near 39th Street and Walton Avenue, not far from Exposition Park.

“At the time of her disappearance, the family did not know what she was wearing when she left her home,” police said Aug. 5 in a missing person bulletin that asked for the public's help. “Mrs. Douglas is of sound mind, and her family and friends are deeply concerned for her safety and well-being.”

But the search for Douglas ended when police notified family members about her death.

Her son Dave Douglas said he received that notification Aug. 17. He said it’s been an emotionally tough time for the family.

“I’m not sure what happened that day,” he said.

Douglas said his mother was a churchgoer and liked to go on walks as well as crochet and knit, sometimes making sweaters, dresses and beanies for her grandchildren.

"She was just the sweetest thing,” Douglas said. “She was very understanding. You can talk to her about anything and she wasn't going to be judgmental, she was just going to listen.”

Douglas said his mother was born in Belize and migrated to Los Angeles when she was a teenager. For a while, she drove buses, then worked as a caregiver.

He said their childhood was not always easy, but his mother always made sure he and his siblings got what they needed. She also taught them to look at the bright side of life.

"She really taught us how to be strong,” Douglas said, “to hang in there and keep soldiering on, to keep trying to see the good."

Family and friends plan to hold a funeral for Douglas in the coming weeks.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .