Authorities say the body of a 12-year-old boy has been discovered in a vacant lot south of Albuquerque, N.M., and a teenage friend of the victim is being held on suspicion of murder.
Valencia County Sheriff Louis Burkhard said Wednesday that Alex Madrid of Albuquerque was found in a field west of Los Lunas after his parents reported him missing.
He says the boy appears to have died from severe trauma.
Burkhard says the boy was last seen Sunday while visiting family in the Los Lunas area. His body was found Tuesday evening after family members told authorities he had last been seen playing with a 15-year-old friend. Burkhard says when questioned, that friend took authorities to the body.
Burkhard says the teen is being held in juvenile detention in Albuquerque, charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
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