Five adults charged in death of missing Frederick teen

BALTIMORE -- Five adults are charged with murder in the death of a 15-year-old boy whose body was found in a Maryland state park months after going missing from Frederick, police said Wednesday. 

Alexis Alfredo Ayala Lopez, 21; Jose Roberto Ramos Lopez, 23; Ismael Lopez Lopez, 29; Elmer Bladimir Reyes, 27; and Ismael Ivan Rivera Canales, 20, are each charged with first-degree murder, Frederick Police said. 

The teenager, who WJZ has decided not to name, was reported missing by his family on February 25. Police said detectives began looking for him that same day.

The next morning, a crime scene was discovered in a wooded area near Orchard Way that suggested "a serious assault" had happened, police said. 

The investigation lead detectives to Gambrill State Park, where multiple searches were executed. Two months later on April 24, the teen's remains were found in the area of the park, police said. 

"Since [the victim] was first reported missing back in late February, we have had officers and detectives working tirelessly, investigating this case," Frederick Chief of Police Jason Lando said in a statement. "Our team spent countless hours following leads and conducting searches all over the county. We were all hoping to find [the victim] alive and well, but sadly that did not happen."

Police said the detectives were able to collect evidence that lead them to the five suspects in the murder. Last Friday, Frederick Police and task forces from the FBI and the United States Marshals Service executed search warrants to arrest the suspects.

It was not immediately clear what motivated the killing, or where the suspects were arrested.  

"On behalf of the entire team at FPD, our hearts go out to the victim's family," Lando said. "While we know it will not bring [the victim] back, we hope the arrests in this case will offer some closure to the family."