15-year-old charged with murder of friend, 12, in New Mexico

LOS LUNAS, N.M. — Authorities say the body of a 12-year-old boy has been discovered in a vacant lot in northern New Mexico, and an arrest has been made in the case.

The Valencia County Sheriff's Office says the body of Alex Madrid was found Tuesday in a field just west of Meadow Lake, N.M, about 25 miles south of Albuquerque. Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with the case, charging him with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, reports CBS affiliate KRQE.

The suspect’s name is being withheld due to his young age. KRQE reports that he was friends with the victim.

On Wednesday, the Office of the Medical Investigator was scheduled to conduct an autopsy. The cause of death remains unknown.

Madrid’s mother reported him missing Tuesday afternoon. Investigators found the boy’s body later that day. The sheriff’s office called it a “suspicious death.”

Sheriff Louis Burkhard told KRQE that Madrid and the suspect had been hanging out since Sunday, when the victim came to Los Lunas to visit his aunt.