Friend remembers 15-year-old girl found shot to death, dumped near Orange County road

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A longtime friend of 15-year-old Melanie Medina, who was found shot to death in a field near Orange Blossom Trail last week, said he is struggling with comprehending her death.

Tracy Cox, 16, said dealing with Medina's death has been hard.

"You wouldn't expect that to happen to somebody like her," he said. "She was too nice to a lot of people for something like this to happen."

A 22-year-old man who deputies said was involved has been arrested in connection with Medina's death.

A 16-year-old girl allegedly involved in the death and the dumping of the body hasn't been arrested, but investigators said they're working with the state attorney's office to determine if she will be charged.

Ramsys Javier Cruz Abreu was charged Thursday with accessory after the factafter Melanie Alejandra Medina’s body was found Tuesday along Ziegler Road near Orange County's Sky Lake neighborhood.

Detectives said Medina was shot multiple times in the car late Monday as she, Cruz Abreu and an unidentified 16-year-old girl went to buy doughnuts at the Krispy Kreme store across from the Mall at Millenia.

Cruz Abreu told investigators that he heard a loud bang and saw Medina grab her neck and scream, investigators said.

He said he applied pressure to Medina's neck as he drove, but realized that she was dead, deputies said.

Cruz Abreu said he and the teenage girl discussed what to do with Medina's body because the girl said she didn't want anyone to know she had a gun, investigators said. Deputies said the pair agreed to dump Medina's body on Ziegler Road near Orange Blossom Trail.

The 16-year-old allegedly admitted to deputies that she shot Medina.

Medina was an eighth-grader at Corner Lake Middle School until April 6, when her parents withdrew her from the school, officials said. It’s unknown why the girl's parents removed her from the school.

Cox Media Group