Jennifer Marie Ball was 36 years old when she was found beaten to death on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, in Carson. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, she died after sustaining blunt force trauma on the Dominguez Channel Bike Path, under the South Figueroa Street overpass, south of West Griffith Street. Her death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau case.
The Los Angeles Times reported that a person walking early that morning saw her lying on the bike path, according to Sheriff's Lt. Joe Mendoza. The pedestrian called 911, and paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene at 7:14 a.m. The coroner listed the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head. She was described as a white woman.
Investigators believed that Jennifer "was homeless and was living along the channel," Mendoza said. "No weapon was found, and authorities have no motive for the killing," the Times reported.
Beyond those few details, almost nothing about Jennifer Ball has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser for her could be found, and her name is shared by many women across the country, so nearly every search result for it concerns someone else. She surely had family somewhere, people who knew her before she came to live beside the channel, but none of them appear to have spoken publicly.
The Dominguez Channel is a concrete flood control channel that runs through the South Bay toward the Port of Los Angeles. Bike and walking paths follow parts of its banks, and the spaces beneath freeway and street overpasses along the channel have long offered shelter to people with nowhere else to sleep. Carson itself is a city of homes, refineries, warehouses and industrial yards, and it is home to California State University, Dominguez Hills. Carson contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for police services, which is why the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau took the case.
People living outdoors are among the most vulnerable to violence, and their deaths often draw little attention. The fact that she was found under an overpass, in a place where other people may also have been staying, suggests that someone nearby may have heard or seen something during the night. Regular users of the bike path, people who camped along the channel, and workers at nearby businesses may each hold a piece of what happened. Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Jennifer Marie Ball could be found in news archives or public records. More than eight years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew Jennifer, who spent time along the Dominguez Channel near South Figueroa Street, or who used the bike path on the night of September 4 or the early morning of September 5, 2017, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. The Times asked that anyone with information call the sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 890-5500, or Crime Stoppers at 222-8477 to remain anonymous. Anyone with information can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
