Fairfax County police have identified remains found in a Springfield industrial park Saturday as a missing 15-year-old girl and said she had been killed.
Reyes Rivas was reported missing by her family on Dec. 10 and left home willingly, said Officer Tawny Wright, a Fairfax County police spokeswoman.
Reyes Rivas suffered trauma to the upper body and detectives believe she was killed in Fairfax County.
“We were getting reports that she was involved or acquainted with gang activity,” Wright said. “We are looking into the possibility that this might have played a role in her death.”
Wright declined to name the possible gang involved.
Wright said police had first gotten reports Reyes Rivas might be in the county and potentially in danger several weeks ago.
Wright said police searched the area around Accotink Park in Springfield a couple of times previously, before discovering Reyes Rivas's body on Saturday afternoon.
A Virginia medical examiner performed an autopsy on the body on Monday, police said.
Fairfax County police are pursuing numerous leads in the investigation and have not made any arrests yet.
No additional information about the case was immediately available.