A 13-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder in the 2022 death of a 4-year-old sibling, the Danville Police Department reported Friday morning.
Authorities wrote in a news release that the charge was lodged after "the juvenile’s confession earlier this week about suffocating the victim." That confession came following an ongoing investigation.
The names of the juvenile suspect and victim were not disclosed.
In August 2022, Danville Police Department investigators and members of the crime scene responded to an unidentified home where the 4-year-old was found in a room without a pulse.
The young child also was not breathing.
The 4-year-old was taken to Sovah Health-Danville and then airlifted to another medical facility. The child later died, police said.
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The juvenile facing charges was arrested in another jurisdiction, but police did not say where.
The suspect will be transferred to W.W. Moore Detention Center in Danville pending trial.
The Danville Police Department did not provide answers to questions from the Register & Bee including the exact date of the incident and where the home was located.
"Due to the nature of the incident involving juveniles, the press release that was sent is all the information we are going to be able to release," Matt Bell, a spokesperson for the department, wrote in an email response to the Register & Bee.
Under Virginia law, authorities must shield the identity of juvenile victims of crimes.
Authorities did not initially provide any other details in the news release.
