PHOENIX — Police are investigating after a teenage girl was found dead in a neighborhood in west Phoenix on Monday morning.
Officers were called out to the scene near 75th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard around 10 a.m. for reports of a body. When they arrived, they found a teenage girl who was unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound.
Police originally identified the victim as a woman, but on Thursday, they identified the victim as 15-year-old Kyelonna Smiley.
Police identified 67-year-old Nohe Morelia as a possible suspect and began putting a case together, but were unable to locate him.
On August 8, officers were called out to a business regarding a dead body. When police arrived, they found Morelia's body with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"Since the date of Morelia's death, homicide detectives continued to work the murder of Kyelonna Smiley. The investigation has resulted in detectives establishing that Morelia was responsible for the murder of Smiley," police said.
Phoenix police say there are no other suspects believed to be involved in the murder.
Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances behind the teen’s death.
