DENVER – The 16-year-old girl arrested Wednesday for investigation on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of 7-year-old Jordan Vong will be held without bond as Denver prosecutors wait to receive the case from police, who are still investigating.
The girl waived an appearance at a juvenile court detention hearing in the case Thursday morning. After the closed-door hearing, the judge in the case said the girl would continue to be held without bond.
The Denver District Attorney’s Office has not formally charged the girl in Vong’s death. Another juvenile court hearing is currently scheduled for next Tuesday. The juvenile girl, whom police have not identified, faces investigation on a first-degree murder charge.
Vong’s body was discovered Tuesday night after police used a search warrant to enter his family’s home more than 24 hours after he was first reported missing around 4:30 p.m. Monday. The FBI had joined police and Montbello community members in looking for the boy in the neighborhood surrounding his home.
Denver Police Division Chief Joe Montoya said Wednesday that Vong’s body had been “intentionally concealed” within the home but did not elaborate.
The girl was taken into custody Wednesday morning after police said they found additional evidence connecting her to Vong’s death, but Montoya said he could not identify her because she is a juvenile.
Friends and family members remembered Vong Wednesday at a candlelight vigil.
"I wish you knew him, he was such a happy and bright kid who made everyone smile just by his presence,” Vong’s mother told the crowd gathered at her son’s school in Montbello.
She said her family was devastated by Vong’s death and the subsequent arrest, though police have not confirmed how the girl is related to Vong. She asked people to “be respectful as everything unravels.”
Students and teachers wrote Vong’s name on the sidewalk and asked others to write messages of support on posters for his family.
Vong was set to enter the second grade this school year.
“I mean, honestly it’s devastating you know, the way we all feel as a community," said Juan Duron. His son was the boy's classmate.
Duron said he struggled to explain the little boy's tragic and untimely death to his kids.
“It was pretty hard, we just couldn’t find the right way to tell him, let him know," he said.
Should prosecutors decide to charge the girl in Vong’s death, they would also have to determine whether or not to try and transfer the case to adult court.
Denver7 Chief Investigator Tony Kovaleski contributed to this report.
