Madyson Middleton remembered, teenage neighbor arrested on suspicion of her murder

Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, 15, enters the courtroom Thursday, July 30, 2015 where his arraignment was delayed in Santa Cruz, Calif. Gonzalez is charged with murder, kidnapping and rape in the death of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton, in an artists’ complex in the California beach town.

Santa Cruz District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell accused Gonzalez of kidnapping the girl and sexually assaulting her. He said the severity of the case merited a charge in superior court rather than juvenile court. The search for missing 8-year-old Madyson Middleton came to a tragic end Monday after police found a body inside a trash bin at the Santa Cruz housing and arts complex where she was last seen riding her scooter.

KTVU’s Janine de la Vega is reporting that Gonzalez was hanging around the complex yo-yoing asking if there were “any updates” as neighbors and police searched the area on Sunday and Monday. About 250 people live there, including 50 children who have grown up under the watchful eyes of all the parents.

Vogel said police believe the boy acted alone.

Witnesses last saw the 4-foot-tall, 48-pound girl at 5 p.m. Sunday while she was riding a white Razor scooter with her long hair pulled to the side in a braid, police said.

“It appears she was lured to the suspect’s apartment willingly”, he said, later adding: “It’s my belief she was killed before we ever got the phone call Sunday night”. “At worst, a minor adjudicated within the juvenile system faces commitment to the California Youth Authority until the age of 25”.

Hearing the portrayals of 15-year-old A.J. Gonzalez, from the Tannery Arts Center community that watched him grow up and from the authorities holding him in a jail cell, a stark duality emerges.

District Attorney Jeff Rosell is expected to file charges within the next few days, and they are considering charging the suspect as an adult. The 15-year-old boy, who was generally described as quiet and shy by residents of Tannery Arts Center in Santa Cruz, is going to be tried as adult.

“People do things for lots of reasons”, Rosell said. He could face life in prison if found guilty.

As the investigation moved forward, residents at the eight-acre complex mourning Maddy’s death said they were stunned to learn another resident was suspected in the killing.

The girl trusted the teenage boy, Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel said earlier this week. Sometimes we understand them.

Investigators interviewed the boy all night while other officers found evidence linking him to the crime, Vogel said.

Associated Press Reporter Julia Horowitz reported from San Francisco.

The boy, who police say knew the girl as a neighborhood acquaintance, was arrested on suspicion of murder, Vogel said.