A 15-year-old boy has been charged with the capital murder of Kaitlin Elizabeth Hernandez, a 17-year-old girl whose body was found in a drainage ditch in San Antonio in early March. According to KENS 5, the young suspect, who remains unnamed due to his age, was taken into custody without incident.

After Hernandez was reported missing on March 12, following an evening she left home with a male friend, her family conducted a frantic search. Their effort led them to discover her phone in a drainage ditch through an odd exchange with a man who claimed finding it, detailed by KENS 5. Her lifeless body was found shortly thereafter, under a bridge, showing signs of trauma, and the medical examiner confirmed she had been strangled.

Although the boy was previously seen with Hernandez and was detained for questioning, authorities could not charge him until receiving DNA results. “The DNA was sent to the Bexar County Crime Lab and results indicated the suspect could not be excluded as a suspect in the sexual assault and murder of the victim,” said SAPD officials in a statement acquired by KSAT.

The arrested teen appeared before Judge Cruz Shaw this Wednesday, where state representatives underscored his potential danger to himself, or others. As per the law, juveniles aren't eligible for bail, keeping the 15-year-old detained as police stress the investigation is still active, and ongoing according to both KENS 5 and KSAT.