Boy, 15, person of interest in death of Utah girl, 12
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - Utah police say they are questioning a person of interest in the death of a 12-year-old girl whose body was found in an overgrown horse pasture.
West Valley City Police Chief Lee Russo said Friday the girl left her house about midnight with someone her parents didn't know.
Russo says the girl had been communicating with the person and agreed to come outside. He declined to provide details about that person.
According to CBS affiliate KUTV, the person of interest is a 15-year-old boy who recently got out of drug court.
The girl's body was found after her mother got worried when she didn't return. Chief Russo says the mother approached two officers at a convenience store near the family's home around 1:30 a.m.
Neither the girl nor her family had a history of run-ins with police, a spokeswoman said. A member of the family knew she was leaving, but it's unclear how much her parents knew.
"This isn't about parenting," Russo told reporters during a press conference. "What we are investigating in the death of a 12-year-old girl."
Police believe she was killed in the field near where her body was found in the suburb of Salt Lake City.