2-year-old Jozlynn's body still missing

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A small memorial sits outside Consuela Martinez's home on Nagold Street NW, where police say her 2-year-old daughter died last week.

Jozlynn Martinez's body was dumped in a nearby trash receptacle after she died, according to Grand Rapids police.

The Kent County Waste-to-Energy facility was searched by police, director Bill Allen confirmed to 24 Hour News 8 on Monday. The facility was explored Thursday night and shut down Friday so officials could continue their investigation.

Grand Rapids, Kentwood and East Grand Rapids are some of the cities that send their trash to the Kent County Waste-to-Energy facility.

Most everything there is incinerated.

"The majority of material that's put at the curb that's processed at the plant is actually combusted," Allen said.

Once anything is burnt, he added, it is very difficult to sift through the remnants.

The search followed an alleged confession from Martinez's once- live-in boyfriend, Jeffrey Malmberg, who said Jozlynn died last Monday and he dumped her body. Although Martinez and Malmberg have a 7-month-old child together, the 40-year-old is not Jozlynn's father.

Police have not released details of how Jozlynn might have died, but Martinez told 24 Hour News 8 what she heard from Malmberg: the toddler fell down some steps and he panicked, disposing of her body in a commercial Dumpster.

Jozlynn's biological father said his family doubts Malmberg's story.

"Nothing he's ever been able to say has ever been proven true," John Rittenhouse said. "So, it makes me wonder. He says he found her that way, but could he still ... I mean, he's come out and lied about everything else -- why would he tell the truth now?"

He and Martinez will start trying to raise money toward the cost of finding their daughter, who they don't believe is dead.

Police have evidence to corroborate with Malmberg's story, they said, but won't release further details.