Body found in US bayou identified as missing two-year-old

Authorities say the body of a girl who was found in a US bayou last week was that of a two-year-old who had been reported missing by her family.

Medical examiners in Houston, Texas officially identified the body as Maliyah Bass on Sunday, however a cause of death is yet to be revealed.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said he suspects foul play was involved and authorities are approaching the case as a murder investigation. No arrests have been made.

Maliyah's family and friends held a vigil for her on Saturday.

"I know a lot of people are hurting. But I want the city of Houston to know that we will get justice for Maliyah," Rosalie Jimerson, the girl's grandmother, said.

Maliyah went missing August 22 as she played in her apartment complex's playground.

A day later, a jogger spotted the body in Brays Bayou in an area southeast of the University of Houston, about 27 kilometres west of Maliyah's home. The bayou runs within a kilometre of the apartment complex, police said.