Local

22-year-old man charged in connection with death of teen found dumped on Orange County road

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Sheriff's Office deputies on Thursday announced the arrest of a man accused of being involved in the death of a 15-year-old girl whose body was dumped onto a road near Orange Blossom Trail, investigators said.

Melanie Alejandra Medina, 15, was found Tuesday morning along a street near Orange County's Sky Lake neighborhood, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

Investigators said she died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Ramsys Javier Cruz Abreu, 22, is charged with accessory after the fact to a life felony, deputies said.

A Crimeline tip said Medina was killed by an Hispanic male and a 16-year-old female and the tipster said the two were at an Orange County home.

Deputies found a vehicle on Wednesday with a bullet hole in the windshield of the passenger side and a black handgun in the front seat, investigators said.

Deputies watched Cruz Abreu get into the vehicle and pulled him over, investigators said.

Cruz Abreu told investigators during questioning that he was hanging out with a girl he knew as "Alex" and her friend around 11 p.m. Monday, and they went to get doughnuts. He said he heard a loud bang and saw Medina grab her neck and scream, investigators said.

Cruz Abreu said he applied pressure to Medina's neck as he drove, but noticed she died. Cruz Abreu said he and the teen discussed what to do with Medina's body because the teen said she didn't want anyone to know she had a gun, investigators said. The two agreed to dump Medina's body on Ziegler Road, investigators said.

The 16-year-old admitted to deputies that she shot Medina. The teen, who is with her parents, has not been charged, however, deputies said they're working with the state attorney's office to determine the charges against the teen.

"(I) cannot get into what they were doing with the gun at this point, but it's clear to us based on the interviews and testimony we've received, the 16-year-old was the one who fired the weapon," said Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings.

Detectives said Cruz Abreu should be held without bail because he has spent a majority of his life in Puerto Rico and does not have any direct ties to Florida.

He was given a $50,000 bond, but had not posted the amount by 10 p.m. Thursday.

Medina was an eighth-grader at Corner Lake Middle School until April 6, when her parents withdrew her from the school, officials said.

No information was released about why the girl's parents removed her from the school.