Two people were arrested, including a 32-year-old man and a teenager, after a 15-year-old Guatemalan boy was found dead on a sidewalk in Westchester County.
Hugo Perez-Gabriel, 32, and an unnamed 16-year-old both face charges stemming from the death of Jonson Temaj, whose body was left near an intersection in New Rochelle early Thursday morning, police said.
The 15-year-old came to the US from Guatemala two years ago and had been living with his uncle, Mynor Temaj, who was at work at the time of his death and thought his nephew was in school, he told CBS News.
“I tried to call him, and then he doesn’t pick up the phone. And I tried to call other friends and I ask if it is true, and they said yes,” his uncle said.
The younger Temaj, whose other relatives remain in Guatemala, had come to the US with big hopes of starting his own business one day, his uncle said.
“It is sad,” he said. “He’s a good boy, you know.”
The New Rochelle High School student’s body was found corner of Charles Street and Washington Avenue around 6:15 a.m. on Thursday, police said.
According to police, Perez-Gabriel and the unnamed 16-year-old brought his body out onto the sidewalk from a nearby home.
Temaj was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of his death. It was not immediately clear whether Temaj knew the suspects.
Perez-Gabriel was charged Friday with concealment of a human corpse and endangering the welfare of a child, while the 16-year-old was charged with concealment of a human corpse and second-degree possession of a forged instrument.
Police investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
