16-year-old boy arrested after police discovered body of 13-year-old girl in Victorian bushland

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested after the body of a 13-year-old girl, who went missing on the weekend, was found in bushland in regional Victoria.Victoria-police" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="5396" data-entity-type="organization">Victoria Police said they were treating Layla Jeffery’s death as “suspicious” after her remains were found in Donald, a small town in western Victoria, late on Thursday afternoon following an extensive search.Late Friday, police announced they had arrested a 16-year-old boy after a warrant was executed at a home in Swan Hill, which is about a 1.5-hour drive from Donald.“He is currently being interviewed by detectives,” police said in a statement.“Two women, a 53-year-old from Donald and 55-year-old from Melbourne, are also assisting police with their inquiries.”A large-scale search had been conducted in bushland west of Byrne Street after Layla was reported missing on 5 July. She was last seen on McCracken Street in Donald the previous day.Local police, along with specialist officers from the dog squad, air wing and search and rescue squad, were involved in the search.“The remains are yet to be formally identified, but they are believed to be those of missing 13-year-old girl, Layla,” police said in a statement on Friday.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionA warrant was executed at a residential property in Donald shortly after 11am on Friday as part of the investigation.“The investigation into the circumstances around the death of the girl remains ongoing; however, police are currently treating it as suspicious,” the police spokesperson said.