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SANTA CRUZ, Calif (KTVU-AP) -- A 15-year-old boy was arrested Monday night after evidence linked him to the murder of an 8-year-old girl whose body was found in a recycling bin in a Santa Cruz artist community where the two of them lived, according to Santa Cruz police chief Kevin Vogel.
Vogel confirmed that the body was that of Madyson Middleton, who was last seen around 5:05 p.m. riding her razor scooter in front of the community apartments on Sunday evening.
He said evidence was discovered linking the teen -- who was an acquaintance of Madyson's -- to the murder and that the slaying had occurred inside the teen's apartment.
"She was killed upstairs," he told reporters. "It was prior to us receiving a call on Sunday evening."
Vogel said the teen lured the young girl to the apartment.
"They were alone in the apartment," he said. "He is an acquaintance of Mady's...She willingly accompanied him up to the apartment."
Vogel believes that the murder took place in less than an hour after she was last seen alive.
"When we found Mady, he was in close proximity to the recycling bin... That's when we took him into custody."
The 15-year-old boy was interviewed by police overnight before he was arrested on suspicion of homicide and taken to the Santa Cruz County Juvenile Detention facility.
Witnesses said that the suspect's family resides on the third floor of the center and has lived at the center since 2009. The teen is described by neighbors as polite and well liked.
When reporters asked if the clothing on the victim matched the clothing Madyson was wearing when last seen Sunday evening, Vogel stated that it's too soon to be certain.
"The way the body is situated in the dumpster where she was located, it's difficult to tell what the clothing looks like from our vantage point right now," Vogel said.
He added that investigators are in a "holding pattern" while they prepare to process the crime scene.
The Department of Justice was assisting in the investigation, according to Vogel, and police are planning to release more information sometime Tuesday morning.
At about 9:20 p.m., Santa Cruz CHP tweeted out the message "Our hearts are broken and our deepest sympathy to the family of Madyson Middleton. We are grieving with the entire Santa Cruz community."
The 4-foot-tall, 50-pound girl lived with her mother at the Tannery Arts Center, a public-private nonprofit project that includes 100 affordable loft apartments for artists and their families, a café, and dance and art studios on eight acres.
The property, a former leather tannery, is managed by The John Stewart Company. John Stewart, the company's chairman, said they are fully cooperating with authorities and turned the surveillance footage over to authorities Sunday night.