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The remains are thought to belong to a child aged between two and four as police search through missing persons cases.

A child's feet, hands and head were found in a lagoon in Chicago. The head and other body parts of a young child have been discovered in a lagoon in a west Chicago park.

A search was launched at Garfield Park after someone reported seeing an object floating in the water at the lagoon on Saturday afternoon. Detectives discovered the badly decomposed remains, which also included hands and feet, as investigators searched through the waist-high water over the weekend. Part of Garfield Park has been closed off during the search

Police said on Sunday that officers had found additional body parts, but did not release any further details. The Chicago Sun Times reported that a child's head had been found. A 20lb weight was also found nearby, authorities said. Jason Ervin, alderman for the district, said investigators had told him the victim was likely aged between two and four and said there was no indication the remains were from more than one child.

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He said: "It is unthinkable that someone would dismember a child and throw them into the lagoon." Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for Chicago Police Department, said the child's identity has not been determined. He said detectives were going through Chicago area missing persons cases. He added: "We'll go on for as long as it takes until we comb every inch of that lake. "We'll go as far as draining the entire lagoon if it's necessary."

Part of the 184-acre park has been closed off.