Last night, just over 24 hours after she disappeared, eight-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton was found dead in the dumpster of a Santa Cruz, California artists’ complex. Middleton’s 15-year-old neighbor, who was reportedly standing near the dumpster, watching the crime scene, was arrested and will likely be charged with her murder, according to Santa Cruz police.
The boy, whose name has not been released because he’s a minor, allegedly lured Middleton to his parents apartment and killed her sometimes Sunday evening. She was last spotted on surveillance footage at about 5 p.m., riding her scooter in the parking lot of the Tannery Arts Center.
“It is my belief she was killed before we even got the phone call Sunday night,” Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel said at a news conference today, according to the Los Angeles Times.
From the Times:
Police believe Madyson willingly went to the boy’s apartment, where they were alone. The pair knew each because they lived in the same housing complex, Vogel said.
“She was 8 years old,” he said. “I think she had a reasonable amount of trust in him.”
Middleton’s disappearance triggered a huge search, with hundreds of community members combing the 8.5 acre complex and the surrounding woods. Just before 8 p.m. Monday night, a detective found her body inside one of the complex’s dumpsters. The boy, Vogel said, was standing nearby and behaving suspiciously. He was later arrested and faces a number of charges related to Maddy’s death, some of which could be filed against him as an adult.
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