CLEVELAND -- A small, badly decomposed torso was found Wednesday behind a warehouse near railroad tracks just east of downtown, police said.

The body was discovered near E. 71st Street. Police have been on the scene since 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, where a large area is blocked off as a crime scene.

Police Chief Edward Lohn said an anonymous tip led them to the body, which has not been identified.

Forensics investigators from the department and the FBI joined the Cuyahoga County coroner on the scene.

There is fear that the body may belong to 11-year-old Shakira Johnson, who has been missing for four weeks. The body was found 30 blocks from the area where Shakira was last seen Sept. 13.

Mayor Jane Campbell spent the afternoon with the family of Shakira. Campbell had promised Shakira's mother that she would come to their home if anything happened. Although investigators do not know if the body belongs to Shakira, Campbell wanted to tell the girl's mother about the body's discovery before it was on television or the radio.

"I'm here because this is a mother whose daughter is missing, and when you have a mother whose daughter is missing, and we find a young body, you know that mother's in pain, and I came to be with her and join her in prayer," said Campbell.

While family friends, and neighbors prayed, investigators continued perform a complete crime-scene investigation.

"It's going to be a labor-intensive investigation on the scene. We're going to search every square inch of the area for evidence," said Lohn.

The condition of the body is making it difficult to make a positive identification. The body is so badly decomposed that investigators have said they are unable to identify race or sex. They are unable to determine whether the cause of death was of a violent nature until the autoposy has been performed.

It may be 48 hours before the body is identified.

The coroner is expected to perform an autopsy Thursday morning.