APRIL 17, 2021
Eighteen days ago, Aisha Nava’s body was found on the riverbed in Compton. A coroner investigator said it was believed to be a suicide the morning Aisha was found, according to her mom, Natalie.
Aisha was a good kid, graduating with honors from Artesia High and attending Cerritos College.
On March 28, Aisha went to the movies with her mother and two younger sisters. Natalie said Aisha was very happy, as usual. Later that afternoon, she walked to a friend’s house a few blocks away in the city of Hawaiian Gardens.
She did not return by 8 p.m. curfew, alarming her mom. Tragically, her body was found the next morning about 13 miles away.
“At first I got really mad because of what they were saying an autopsy had not been performed and they were already saying that it was a suicide,” she said.
Were the investigating detectives doing their job?
Days after Aisha’s death, Natalie went to the riverbed and found evidence.
She found what she believes is her daughter’s tooth, as well as her eyeglass lens and her backpack, which had a tear in it; she doesn’t believe was there before.
She notified a detective but was shockingly not asked for those items, she said.
“I want to believe and trust that the authorities are investigating and that they have to do what they have to do to know what happened to my daughter,” she said. The single mother of three said she’s also had to find friends to bridge the language barrier when she calls detectives.
An L.A. County Sheriff’s captain said two deputies are investigating the case and are asking the public to come forward with any information. He did not explain why the personal items Natalie found were not retrieved by investigators.
Natalie has tried, unsuccessfully, to find surveillance footage and has posted flyers asking for help.
“If anyone knows anything, don’t be afraid. Please speak out,” she said.
The cause of Aisha’s death has been deferred, pending additional investigation, according to the L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner records.
She leaves behind two younger sisters and her mother, who is out of work. A GoFundMe page has been established to support them.
They will hold a gathering in Aisha’s memory at the Somerset Boulevard bridge Saturday at 2 p.m.
