2 teens arrested, charged in Utah abduction-turned-murder

(NEW YORK) – Two teenage boys have been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of a 21-year-old man whose body was found in a remote desert area in Utah County, according to police.

The 15-year-old and a 17-year-old have been booked into the Salt Lake Valley Detention Center on multiple felony charges related to the murder, the Taylorsville Police Department said in a press release.

Police had been searching for 21-year-old Alex Franco, who was abducted Sunday, according to police.

Franco was last seen alive getting into a white Jeep Liberty on Sunday afternoon, according to police. Witnesses reported hearing a possible single gunshot and the vehicle then sped away.

Police found a vehicle suspected to be the one involved in the abduction on Monday and further investigation led to the arrest of two teenage suspects, according to police.

Franco’s body was found with what appeared to be a single gunshot wound, police said.

Police believe they arrested the person responsible for Franco’s shooting but they are “actively working on contacting others who may have been present during the homicide,” according to police.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

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