Teenage girl arrested for murder in death of Covelo 16-year-old
COVELO -- A 15-year-old girl was being held on a juvenile murder count after a teenage girl's body was discovered by her worried uncle in a Mendocino County field.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Department said deputies responded at 11:25 a.m. on Saturday to the 23800 block of Howard Street in Covelo following a 911 call from the victim's uncle.
The uncle told deputies he had been searching the area for his missing niece after she failed to return home the previous evening. During that search, he found her body in a vacant field.
Deputies have identified the dead girl as Ruby Sky Montelongo, a 16-year-old from Covelo.
During the initial investigation, detectives learned Montelongo had been socializing with a 15-year-old female on Friday night. The pair knew each other as they both lived in Covelo.
During the evening, investigators said, the 15-year-old female physically assaulted Montelongo in the vacant field. They arrested the 15-year-old female and booked her into the Mendocino County Juvenile Hall on a murder charge.
The investigation is still ongoing to determine the circumstances of the physical assault and Montelongo's official cause of death.
Anyone with information that could assist Sheriff's Detectives in this investigation is urged to contact the Sheriff's Office Tip Line by calling 707-234-2100 or the WeTip anonymous crime reporting hotline by calling 800-782-7463.