Micaela Costanzo schoolmate Kody Patten arrested in murder of 16-year-old Nevada girl

(CBS/AP/KUTV) WEST WENDOVER, Nev. - An arrest has been made in the death of Micaela Costanzo, the 16-year-old Nevada girl whose body was apparently found in a shallow grave near the Utah border Saturday.

Eighteen-year-old Kody Patten was arrested about 2 a.m. Monday and booked into the Elko County jail. Patten is a senior at West Wendover High School and knew Micaela, who was also a student there, according to West Wendover High vice principal Craig Kyllonen.

"They were friends. We do know that they had a past relationship where they did date each other at one point," he said, according to CBS affiliate KUTV.

The search for Micaela was called off by police after human remains were discovered in a shallow grave in a desert near the Utah border. The remains were tentatively ID'd as the missing girl, who police say disappeared while walking home from her high school last week.

The Deseret News quoted West Wendover police Sgt. Dave Wiskerchen during a press conference Sunday night as saying the body has "tentatively been identified as Micaela Costanzo."

Micaela was last seen leaving West Wendover High School on Thursday evening.

More than 100 volunteers helped search for Costanzo on Saturday.

A searcher discovered the freshly dug grave about five miles west of the town, and authorities set up tents and worked at the site on Sunday.

Elko County Sheriff's Cpl. Jim Carpenter said local detectives worked on the excavation with investigators from western Nevada's Washoe County.

More on Crimesider
March 7, 2011 - Micaela "Mickey" Costanzo: Body tentatively ID'd as missing Nev. girl, say police