Pictured: Girl, 12, found murdered after 'being lured from house at midnight by 15-year-old neighbor who'd been asking girls as young as five to come out and play'

• Kailey Vijil was 'killed' half a mile from her West Valley City, Utah, home
• Police found her body in a pasture behind the suspect's house 
• Her mother ran to a convenience store to say she hadn't returned home 
• A boy had come to the door of their home, asking her to come outside
• He had reportedly asked a number of girls to come out and play that night 
• The youngster's remains showed signs of trauma, police said  
• Police say a 'good-natured child was fooled and made a mistake she paid the ultimate price for'

By Wills Robinson and Christopher Brennan For Dailymail.com

Published: 00:45 EST, 18 July 2015 | Updated: 07:54 EST, 18 July 2015

Kailey Vijil, 12, was found dead less than half a mile from her home in West Valley City, Utah, after she was allegedly lured by her house by a 15-year old boy who had just been released from juvenile detention

The first photo has been released of a 12-year-old girl who was allegedly lured from her home and killed by a 15-year-old boy.

Kailey Vijil, was found dead in a field less than half a mile from her home in West Valley City, Utah, on Friday morning.

The alarm was raised after mother who was in the neighborhood looking for her, rushed to a local 7-Eleven at around 1.30am because she could not find her daughter.

The little girl's body, which showed signs of trauma, was found at 3am less than four blocks away in a horse pasture behind the suspect's house.

The death came hours after a male teenager, who had recently been released from a juvenile detention center, came to her family home and reportedly asked her to come outside to play - an offer which the girl's parents allegedly accepted. 

According to the Deseret News, the same boy had asked other neighbors, around Kaley's age, just 15 minutes earlier if they could help him find a pregnant cat. 

West Valley City Police Chief Lee Russo said on Friday: 'I believe a good-natured child was fooled and unfortunately made a mistake she paid the ultimate price for.

'This young girl thought she was helping somebody.' 

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The body of suburban Salt Lake City's Kaley Vijil,  12, was found in an overgrown horse pasture near her home at 3am Friday morning

He said that the girl had not been contacted by her parents since midnight. 

The teenage boy, who did not know the family well, was said to have been persuaded Kayley to leave her home just after midnight. 

There have been other reports of the 15-year-old's alleged concerning behavior since he was supposedly freed from custody -  he had allegedly asked another neighborhood girl to come look at his fort in an abandoned house.

And he is also reported to have asked a five-year-old girl if she wanted to come out and play - ignoring two boys aged 10 and 12 who were in the house at the same time.

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The girl was said to be lured out of her house by someone the family did not know around midnight. Above, police officers search the pasture for additional evidence on Friday

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Vijil was not considered a run away and was believed to have left her house willingly after being lured outside by the teenage neighborhood boy

Mia Montana, eight, told the paper that she declined his offer and then told her parents.

'It just scared me, and when I'm scared I'm supposed to go tell my mom. I was in shock because I know about girls being kidnapped and I just want to stay with my family and be happy.' 

The 15-year-old was arrested at 1:30pm on Friday and will initially be charged with murder as a juvenile. Because he is under the age of 18 his name has not been released by the authorities. 

The department say they had no prior dealings with him.

The 15-year-old's family released a statement to the newspaper saying: 'Our hearts and prayers are with the Vijil family and may God comfort all families hurt by this terrible tragedy.'  

Police said that Kailey and the suspect had not been texting, and that the communication between them occurred at the door of her home.

The parents allegedly knew their daughter had left the house, but went out looking for her after she failed to return.

They finally told police in person at their local convenience store,The Deseret News reported.

Authorities believe that the girl, whose family had recently moved to the area, was killed near the location she was found.

The pasture where she was discovered was overgrown, with grass growing as high as four feet tall, according to police. 

Police were able to find the girl behind a row of homes by tracking her cell phone, though the device was not found on the body.   

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Vijil, who was last seen at midnight was discovered behind a row of houses (pictured) in West Valley City, Utah, was found after police tracked her cell phone. Above, police cordon off one of the homes

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Police have obtained a warrant to search one of the homes near the field and had 15-year-old suspect in custody as of Friday afternoon

 

Body of 12-year-old Utah girl found less than a mile from home

 

 

He said that he could not comment on whether sexual abuse was involved in the attack. 

Authorities had earlier in the day obtained a search warrant for a house near the pasture, which was connected to the 15-year-old.

Police said that they found a 'depression in vegetation' and 'indication of crime' a short distance from the body. 

Evidence at the scene also was said to link the suspect to the crime.

West Valley City police spokesman Roxeanne Vainuku said that she could not elaborate on what indicated a crime at the scene when asked by Daily Mail Online. 

No one else is currently suspected in the death. 

Authorities have not yet released a cause of death in the case and would not comment in specifics on the trauma Vijil suffered.

Police said that there was no information to suggest stabbing or gunshot wounds. 

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Police said that they found 'indication of a crime' at the site where Vijil's body was found, but would not elaborate about what evidence was found

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The mother of the young girl contacted police in person at a local 7-Eleven around 1.30am after frantically searching for her daughter

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3166135/Pictured-Girl-12-murdered-field-lured-house-midnight-15-year-old-boy-d-asking-girls-come-play-released-juvenile-detention.html#ixzz3gFXEDdvu
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