Madyson Middleton, 8 Year-Old, Missing Since Sunday, July 26, 2015 -- Santa Cruz, CA

Mother pleads for return of missing California 8-year-old
 
Martha Mendoza, Ap National Writer
 
Updated 5:21 pm, Monday, July 27, 2015


Madyson Middleton

Image 1 of 9

This undated photo provided by the Santa Cruz Police Department shows missing Madyson "Maddy" Middleton, from Santa Cruz, Calif. Madyson Middleton was last seen Sunday afternoon, July 26, 2015, riding a scooter outside the Tannery Arts Center in Santa Cruz, a beach town along the Northern California coast. The 4-foot-tall, a 50-pound child, has long brown hair, which was pulled to the side in a braid, and dark eyes. She was wearing a purple dress, black leggings, black flip-flops and a black helmet when she vanished. (Courtesy of Santa Cruz Police Department via AP)  

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — The mother of a missing 8-year-old girl pleaded for her safe return Monday as search efforts grew to include federal authorities.

Madyson Middleton vanished Sunday afternoon from an artist community and housing center in a Northern California beach town where she lives with her mother.

She was last seen riding her new, white scooter in the Tannery Arts Center courtyard, a place where children — both residents and those taking art and dance classes — frequently play. But at about 5 p.m. her mother realized she was gone.

~Snipped~

Beyond the 8-acre property, searchers from throughout the state are now in boats, helicopters, on foot and bike, with dogs and cameras, searching for the girl. The FBI, as well as sheriffs from San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, are assisting.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller confirmed the FBI was assisting, but she said she would defer to Santa Cruz police for any additional details about the case.

Authorities weren't sending volunteers onto adjacent hiking and biking trails for fear of disturbing potential evidence, but hundreds of volunteers showed up and were looking for her in neighborhoods and streets.

"This is our town, and this just shouldn't happen here. We all should do everything we can to find this girl," David Giannini said.

~Snipped~

The 4-foot-tall, 50-pound child has long brown hair, which was pulled to the side in a braid, and dark eyes. She was wearing a purple dress, black leggings, black flip-flops and a black helmet.

She lived with her mother at the Tannery Arts Center, a public-private nonprofit project that includes 100 affordable loft apartments for artists and their families, a café, and dance and art studios on eight acres.

Read more:

http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Police-8-year-old-girl-missing-in-Santa-Cruz-6407462.php

FBI Assisting in Search for Missing 8-Year-Old California Girl Madyson Middleton

By MAURITA SALKEY
3 hours ago
Good Morning America



A state-wide search, assisted by the FBI, is underway after an 8-year-old California girl vanished over the weekend.

The Santa Cruz Police Department was first called to the Tannery Arts Center, a housing unit for artists, when Madyson “Maddy” Middleton was reported missing from her home there Sunday evening.

Madyson was last seen riding her white Razor scooter, wearing a purple knee-high dress with black leggings, and a black a baseball-style helmet with long, dark hair pulled to the side in a braid.

The FBI has joined the effort in addition to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team. It was not immediately clear if foul play was involved and the investigation was in the early stages, police said.

Specially trained K-9’s from the State Office of Emergency Services have helped track down Madyson’s scent in the city's main beach area about 2 miles away.

The search is expected to continue near the beach during daylight hours and include the San Lorenzo River waterway and levees, where watercraft, aircraft and foot teams will be utilized.

Madyson is described as being 4 feet tall, 48 pounds with long brown hair and blue eyes.

Read more:

https://gma.yahoo.com/fbi-assisting-search-missing-8-old-california-girl-230924827--abc-news-topstories.html

KTVU @KTVU
New photo released of missing #SantaCruz girl Madyson Middleton



https://twitter.com/KTVU

Santa Cruz searches for missing Madyson Middleton

UPDATED 7:36 PM PDT Jul 27, 2015

VIDEO:

http://www.ksbw.com/news/santa-cruz-searches-for-missing-madyson-middleton/34387772?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=ksbw

Federal authorities widen search for missing Santa Cruz girl



Laura Jordan, mother of missing 8-year-old Madyson Middleton, is embraced by a neighbor outside the Tannery Arts Center apartments where Madyson disappeared Sunday evening. (Dan Coyro -- Santa Cruz Sentinel)

By Stephen Baxter, Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted: 07/27/15, 7:22 PM PDT | Updated: 51 secs ago

SANTA CRUZ >> A hot Sunday afternoon started as any other for 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton, as she rode on her white Razer Scooter around her home at the Tannery Arts Center.

Twenty-four hours later, a massive search that included at least 200 residents, more than a dozen FBI agents, Santa Cruz police, a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team, a helicopter crew, three K-9 units, an amateur drone camera and hundreds of paper fliers and social media posts failed to turn up Maddy.

She was waiting for a friend to finish a board game so they could play together, and rode the scooter under her friend’s window, her mother said. At 5:07 p.m. a surveillance video shows Maddy riding her scooter near a cluster of metal mailboxes at the base of a red, four-story apartment building at the Tannery.

Then she disappeared.

~Snipped~

Who: Police ask anyone with information to call 911. Anonymous tips can also be sent to the police department through the tip line at 831-420-5995, or www.santacruzpolice.com or via text to TIPSCPD plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES).

Read more:

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/general-news/20150727/federal-authorities-widen-search-for-missing-santa-cruz-girl?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Photos: The Search for Madyson Middleton

Maddy Middleton, 8, went missing in Santa Cruz

UPDATED 5:11 PM PDT Jul 27, 2015


4 of 15
Shown here: A local business provides free flyers. (7/27/2015

http://www.ksbw.com/news/photos-the-search-for-madyson-middleton/34384718?utm_campaign=KSBW&utm_content=55b6e27d04d3016bfe000006&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=trueAnthem:+New+Content

KRON 4 News
6 mins

BREAKING: Police sources say missing Santa Cruz's girl's body has been found. Alecia Reid is on-scene. http://bit.ly/1h11k2r



Santa Cruz Police searching for missing 8-year-old girl

UPDATE 8:24: Santa Cruz police have a crime scene set up in Santa Cruz. KRON 4's Alecia Reid is on-scene and we'll have the latest as it becomes available. UPDATE 4:26 p.m. -- A police spokeswoman said in an afternoon press...

kron4.

https://www.facebook.com/KRON4

Sources: Santa Cruz police find body of missing 8-year-old girl

By Aaron Pero

Published: July 27, 2015, 4:59 am  |  Updated: July 27, 2015, 8:40 pm





UPDATE 8:24:  — Police sources say missing girl’s body has been found KRON 4 News

Santa Cruz police have a crime scene set up. KRON 4’s Alecia Reid is on-scene and we’ll have the latest as it becomes available.

Read more:

http://kron4.com/2015/07/27/santa-cruz-police-searching-for-missing-8-year-old/

UPDATE 8:24 P.M. — Police sources say missing girl’s body has been found, possibly in a storage shed.

Law enforcement vehicles swarmed the parking lot of the The Tannery, the apartment complex where the girl was last seen.

At least one person was placed in custody at the scene. A woman was heard screaming at officers and asking why they were arresting her son.

Police have a crime scene set up around the parking lot at The Tannery. KRON 4’s Alecia Reid is on-scene and we’ll have the latest as it becomes available.

Read more:

http://kron4.com/2015/07/27/santa-cruz-police-searching-for-missing-8-year-old/

KRON 4 News ‏@kron4news · 23m
15-year-old boy taken into custody related to missing 8-year-old Santa Cruz girl case. Stay with KRON 4 for updates. http://bit.ly/1h11k2r

https://twitter.com/kron4news

KRON 4 News retweeted
Grant Lodes ‏@GrantLodes · 26m
15-yr-old boy taken into custody related to Maddy Middleton case, @aleciareid reports. Unclear what relationship they may have had.

https://twitter.com/kron4news

CHP Santa Cruz ‏@CHPscrz  · 17m  
Our hearts are broken and our deepest sympathy to the family of Madyson Middleton. We are grieving with the entire Santa Cruz community.

https://twitter.com/CHPscrz

8-year-old Madyson found dead, Santa Cruz police chief says

UPDATED 11:28 PM PDT Jul 27, 2015

By Brynne Whittaker
By Phil Gomez



SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel said late Monday night that the missing 8-year-old Santa Cruz girl, Madyson "Maddy" Middleton, has been found dead.

Santa Cruz police arrested a 15-year-old boy who lives in the same apartment building at the Tannery Arts Center as Madyson's family.
More

Police arrested a 15-year-old boy who lives in the same apartment building at the Tannery Arts Center on River Street as Madyson's family.

He is considered a homicide suspect, Vogel said.


KSBW covered the boy's face with a black circle because he is a minor and has not been charged.

Read more:

http://www.ksbw.com/news/8yearold-madyson-middleton-found-dead-santa-cruz-police-chief-says/34390742

Body of missing 8-year-old Santa Cruz girl found

By Aaron Pero an dMario Sevilla, KRON and Vince Cestone, KRON and Alecia Reid
Published: July 27, 2015, 4:59 am  |  Updated: July 28, 2015, 5:36 am





UPDATE 5:34 A.M. : The 15-year-old suspect and Madyson Middleton lived in the same apartment complex, according to police. The identity of the suspect has not yet been released due to his age.

The Coroner’s Office has been on scene all night, but plan on moving the child’s body soon.

A news conference is planned for later this morning, KRON 4 will carry it live.

UPDATE 11:17 P.M.: Police say there are no other suspects in the case, and they have not touched the body.

“As I said when I first announced that we found her–it’s heartbreaking,” Vogel said. “The last time I stood in front of a group like this and spoke was when my two officers were killed. And it feels like it did that night. It’s terrible.”

The community in Santa Cruz is very tight knit, where children play outside freely, neighbors said.

UPDATE 11:04 P.M.: Neighbors have started a memorial on the sidewalk for Madyson Middleton. Police have announced they will have an update tomorrow morning, and will be investigating throughout the night.

Read more:

http://kron4.com/2015/07/27/santa-cruz-police-searching-for-missing-8-year-old/

Maddy Middleton, 8-year-old girl missing in Santa Cruz, found dead in a dumpster

By Michael E. Miller July 28 at 6:14 AM



When Madyson Middleton went missing, it seemed like all of Santa Cruz came out to search for her.

Friends and family members scoured the artist community where she was last seen on Sunday afternoon, when she vanished while pushing her brand new scooter in a purple dress and black bicycle helmet.

~Snipped~

Santa Cruz Police  ‎@SantaCruzPolice  
Broken-hearted & disappointed, SCPD has concluded the search for Madyson Middleton. Now Homicide Investigation. #SantaCruzPolice
1:45 AM - 28 Jul 2015

“This is extraordinarily heartbreaking news I’m about to give to you,” said Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel during a late-night news conference. “This evening at approximately 7:55 p.m. … our detectives discovered the body of a young female inside of a dumpster at the complex located behind me.”

On top of tearing apart a family, the grim revelation is also roiling a once tight-knit community.

That’s because the person taken into custody for questioning in the still mysterious child slaying is a 15-year-old boy — a 15-year-old boy who lived in the same complex as Maddy. “We have arrested and taken into custody a 15-year-old male who was on the property at the time of the discovery,” Vogel told reporters. He has not been charged with a crime.

Read more:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/28/maddy-middleton-8-year-old-girl-missing-in-santa-cruz-found-dead-in-a-dumpster/

Santa Cruz Police
@SantaCruzPolice

https://twitter.com/SantaCruzPolice

Madyson Middleton file photo

http://thecount.com/2015/07/27/did-they-find-madyson-middleton-found/madyson-middleton-file-photo/

15-year-old suspect and Madyson Middleton lived in same apartment complex

By Molly Martinez, KRON
Published: July 28, 2015, 5:13 am  |  Updated: July 28, 2015, 5:26 am



SANTA CRUZ (KRON) — As police dogs scoured Santa Cruz Monday for missing Madyson Middleton, a detective lifted up a dumpster lid at the Tannery Arts Center complex where the 8-year-old lived and made a gruesome discovery.  The child’s body, believed to be Middleton, was found unceremoniously dumped close to where she went missing the evening before while riding her scooter.

While community members try to make sense of the senseless, police are focusing their attention on a 15-year-old suspect who also resided in the complex.

According to neighbor Terrance Keller, “police took the suspect into custody, he did not resist arrest.”

~Snipped~

Police announced Monday night that they had sealed off a residence at the Tannery Arts Center complex and were in the process of obtaining a search warrant.

The Coroner’s Office was still on site as of Tuesday morning, trying to determine the cause of death.

Read more:

http://kron4.com/2015/07/28/suspect-and-madyson-middleton-lived-in-same-apartment-complex/

What is wrong with people? It seems nobody is exempt from this because you could be at the wrong place and someone pull a gun out and start shooting. I am scared of guns but I am also scared of someone taking me out before my time so I may have to get my conceal handgun license. I rather make them died before they hurt others. I hate this poor girls parents are in so much pain because someone wanted to play God. RIP sweet girl.

Madyson Middleton’s 15-year-old neighbor lured girl to apartment before murdering her: Santa Cruz police chief (Video)

BY Nina Golgowski  /  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS / Published: Tuesday, July 28, 2015, 2:35 PM / Updated: Tuesday, July 28, 2015, 4:27 PM

An 8-year-old girl who vanished outside her California apartment complex was lured to her death by a 15-year-old boy who then tossed her body into a recycling bin, Santa Cruz police said.

The teenaged suspect, who has not been identified, is believed to have killed Madyson Middleton before her mother even realized she was missing Sunday night, Police Chief Kevin Vogel said.

"She trusted him to the point that she went to his apartment voluntarily," Vogel said of the child's willingness to go with him sometime after 5 p.m. when surveillance video last captured her riding on a Razor scooter.

After killing her, Vogel said "she was then carried downstairs to the recycling bin" where her body was dumped, "in a way that was not obvious or readily apparent."

Read more:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/madyson-middleton-teenaged-neighbor-lured-death-cops-article-1.2306709

Teen Boy Allegedly Lured, Killed 8-Year-Old Girl to His Apartment

Chief Kevin Vogel said he believes the girl was killed before she was reported missing Sunday evening.

By Autumn Johnson (Patch Staff)
July 28, 2015



An 8-year-old girl reported missing in Santa Cruz on Sunday and found dead in a recycling bin a day later was allegedly lured by a 15-year-old boy into his apartment where he killed her, the city’s police chief said today.

The boy, who police have not identified, was neighbors and acquaintances with Madyson “Maddy” Middleton, police Chief Kevin Vogel said during a news conference outside police headquarters this morning. Video surveillance footage captured the girl riding her Razor scooter at the complex and witnesses saw her playing with friends prior to her disappearance around 5 p.m. Sunday at the Tannery Arts Center at 1030 River St., Vogel said.
   
~Snipped~

Vogel said he believes the girl was killed before she was reported missing Sunday evening. The boy allegedly lured Maddy into his unit, where investigators suspect he was alone when he killed her, then placed her body in the recycling bin, the chief said. It appears Maddy willingly accompanied the suspect to his unit and had a reasonable amount of trust in him, Vogel said. Vogel offered his sympathies to Maddy’s family on behalf of the Police Department.

Read more:

http://patch.com/california/watsonville/teen-boy-allegedly-lured-killed-8-year-old-girl-his-apartment-0

Will Tran
@KRON4WTran

Reporter/Anchor KRON 4 News San Francisco

--------------------------------------------------

Will Tran ‏@KRON4WTran  · 5m  
Santa Cruz pd says madyson Middleton's belongings found inside 15 yr old suspect's apt.  Acquaintances @kron4news


Will Tran ‏@KRON4WTran  · 10m  
New tues afternoon. Santa Cruz pd says 15 yr old suspect killed 8 yr old madyson Middleton inside his apt @kron4news


Will Tran ‏@KRON4WTran  · 6h  
This moment touched me so.  Daughter leaning against dad at madyson Middleton makeshift memorial.  So sad @kron4news




https://twitter.com/KRON4WTran

Shock in Santa Cruz over girl's killing, boy's arrest: 'These are our babies'(Video)

By Veronica Rocha  and Rong-Gong Lin II  
July 28, 2015, 4:28 PM |Santa Cruz

Residents at the newly-built Tannery Arts Center, a large campus built to provide housing and performance space to keep low-income artists in Santa Cruz, were in shock and tears Tuesday after a 15-year-old boy was arrested in the killing of an 8-year-old girl..

On Tuesday afternoon, residents and employees embraced each other, deeply hurt by the unfolding tragedy involving the boy and girl, who lived in the complex. Madyson "Maddy" Middleton was lured by the teen into his parents' apartment, where she was killed, Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel said at a news conference.

Read more:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-girl-missing-santa-cruz-20150727-story.html#page=1

Nene_Please wrote:What is wrong with people? It seems nobody is exempt from this because you could be at the wrong place and someone pull a gun out and start shooting. I am scared of guns but I am also scared of someone taking me out before my time so I may have to get my conceal handgun license. I rather make them died before they hurt others. I hate this poor girls parents are in so much pain because someone wanted to play God. RIP sweet girl.

I know exactly how you feel, I share the same sentiments. It is awful!

Missing Santa Cruz girl was raped and strangled, sources say

By Mario Sevilla, KRON
Published: July 28, 2015, 10:54 am  |  Updated: July 29, 2015, 12:01 am



SANTA CRUZ (KRON) — Sources say that the 8-year-old girl who vanished from her Santa Cruz apartment complex Sunday night was raped and strangled before her body was found inside a recycling bin.

~Snipped~

On Monday night, a police detective conducted a secondary search of the complex and looked inside a dumpster located inside an enclosed ground level garage.

A 15-year-old boy who was standing nearby the dumpster while crews searched for Middleton, was arrested around the same time the girl’s body was found, according to Vogel, and he thought that the boy may have been watching investigators look through the bin.

~Snipped~

Police say the 15-year-old went to great lengths to hide her body. Police also said she went with the teen because she trusted him.

The unidentified suspect is being held at the Santa Cruz Police Department as part of a homicide investigation.

The District Attorney’s office is currently in the process of figuring out what charges to file, but the suspect can be charged as an adult.

Read more:

http://kron4.com/2015/07/28/missing-santa-cruz-girl-was-raped-and-strangled-sources-say/

Nene_Please wrote:What is wrong with people? It seems nobody is exempt from this because you could be at the wrong place and someone pull a gun out and start shooting. I am scared of guns but I am also scared of someone taking me out before my time so I may have to get my conceal handgun license. I rather make them died before they hurt others. I hate this poor girls parents are in so much pain because someone wanted to play God. RIP sweet girl.

IMO, parents think by being best friend with their kids they are doing the kids a favor. NOT.
Parents have abdicated the roles of parenting... they are afraid to scratch the line in the sand.
Many adults believe by "molding" the child they are depriving the child of innate freedoms.
So the parents are "friends" with the kids and failing to teach responsibility, compassion, etc..

JMO

Teen boy could be charged as adult in death of 8-year-old Santa Cruz girl

By Veronica Rocha and Rong-Gong Lin II
July 29, 2015, 8:10 AM |reporting from Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz County Dist. Atty. Jeffrey Rosell is expected to make an announcement Wednesday in the investigation of the death of 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton, who police say was killed by a 15-year-old neighbor..

Details are expected about 11 a.m. Rosell said at a news conference Tuesday that the boy could be tried as an adult on certain charges.

“Based on the information that we know at this point, there do appear to be charges that can be filed [against the suspect] as an adult, and we are absolutely considering that,” Rosell said. “These are the type of charges and type of offenses that are and can be charged as an adult.”

Read more:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-santa-cruz-girl-killing-20150729-story.html

By Crimesider Staff / CBS/AP / July 29, 2015, 2:56 PM

Teen neighbor charged as adult in slaying of Calif. girl, 8

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Prosecutors have charged a 15-year-old boy as an adult in the murder of an 8-year-old girl in an artists complex in a California beach town.

Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell said Wednesday the teen is facing a charge of murder with special circumstances including kidnapping and sex offense.

Madyson Middleton went missing Sunday after playing in a courtyard at the complex, that includes 100 affordable loft apartments for artists and their families, where she lived with her mother.

Police say the teen, who also lived in the complex, lured her into his family's apartment unit and killed her before dumping her body in a recycling bin and attempting to conceal it.

Rosell named the suspect as Adrian Jerry Gonzalez. The boy will remain in juvenile custody, Rosell said. If he's convicted, he'll face life in prison.

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/teen-neighbor-charged-as-adult-in-slaying-of-calif-girl-8/

Boy, 15, Is Charged With Murder in Killing of Madyson Middleton

By IAN LOVETT JULY 29, 2015


A memorial on Wednesday for Madyson Middleton, an 8-year-old girl whose body was found in a recycling bin, in Santa Cruz, Calif. Credit Terry Chea/Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder as an adult for the killing of an 8-year-old girl, a neighbor of the boy in Santa Cruz, Calif., the county district attorney announced on Wednesday.

The boy, Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, was charged with one count of murder, including special circumstances alleging that he kidnapped and sexually assaulted his young neighbor, Madyson Middleton, the Santa Cruz County district attorney, Jeffrey Rosell, said at a news conference

~Snipped~

Though he is being tried as an adult, Mr. Gonzalez cannot face the death penalty because of his age, Mr. Rosell said.

Read more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/30/us/boy-15-is-charged-with-murder-in-killing-of-madyson-middleton.html

Santa Cruz: Disturbing details emerge about suspect, how Maddy Middleton died

By Robert Salonga, Stephen Baxter and Eric Kurhi | Mercury News and Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   07/29/2015 07:04:16 PM PDT42 Comments | Updated:   about 14 hours ago

SANTA CRUZ -- When they first got word that he was a murder suspect, those who watched 15-year-old Adrian Jerry "A.J."Gonzalez grow up before their eyes at the Tannery Arts Center held out hope. It must have been a mistake, or at worst an accident, they thought.

But the image of the mild-mannered yo-yo slinger zipping around on his skateboard quickly started giving way, first with the public surfacing of social-media posts portraying a potentially troubled and suicidal teen, then with the revelation that he had obsessively asked neighbors about the search for the girl he is now accused of killing.

For many, whatever benefit of the doubt remained crumbled Wednesday when the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office announced Gonzalez would be prosecuted as an adult for murder, kidnapping and sexual assault, based on allegations he lured his 8-year-old neighbor Madyson "Maddy" Middleton to his family's third-floor apartment Sunday, tied her up, beat, raped and strangled her, then dumped her in a recycling bin in the parking garage downstairs.



A post from the Instagram account belonging to Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, the 15-year-old Santa Cruz resident who is accused of allegedly raping and murdering 8-year-old neighbor Madyson "Maddy" Middleton. (Instagram)

Gonzalez, a Santa Cruz resident and one-time counselor at the artists' residential community, is set to be arraigned Thursday, and faces life in prison if convicted. Minors are not eligible for the death penalty.

Among the Instagram portraits of him outside the Tannery and showing off yo-yo tricks in an apartment were other, darker pictures and commentary. Most chilling was a post from Monday, the second day of the search and the day Maddy's body was found, that showed a short black-and-white clip of hands playing a piano to the tune of Gary Jules' version of "Mad World" -- popularized on the soundtrack of 2001's "Donnie Darko," a film signified by the title character's death dreams.

The caption quotes the song's signature line: "The Dreams in which I'm Dying are the Best I've ever had."


Read more:

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_28557576/santa-cruz-disturbing-details-emerge-about-suspect-how

Santa Cruz teen accused of murdering Madyson does not enter plea

UPDATED 5:34 PM PDT Jul 30, 2015


Adrian Jerry Gonzalez did not enter a plea.  (July 30, 2015)
KSBW

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —A 15-year-old boy charged with murder, kidnapping, and rape in the death of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton at a Santa Cruz artists' complex appeared in court Thursday morning and was appointed a lawyer.

Adrian Jerry "AJ" Gonzalez showed no emotions as he stood before Judge Timony Volkmann. He did not enter a plea, and his arraignment was postponed until Sept. 21.

Larry Biggam of the Santa Cruz public defender's office was appointed as the teen's lawyer.

"Our job is to review the evidence, conduct our own investigation, and make sure that the minor, like every citizen accused, receives a fair trial," Biggam said.

Read more:

http://www.ksbw.com/news/santa-cruz-teen-accused-of-murdering-madyson-does-not-enter-plea/34445062

City mourns as teen charged in killing appears in court
 
Janie Har and Martha Mendoza, Associated Press
 
Updated 5:19 pm, Thursday, July 30, 2015


Image 1 of 4
Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, 15, enters the courtroom Thursday, July 30, 2015 where his arraignment was delayed in Santa Cruz, Calif. Gonzalez is charged with murder, kidnapping and rape in the death of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton, in an artists' complex in the California beach town. (Dan Coyro/Santa Cruz Sentinel via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A teenage boy accused of raping and killing an 8-year-old neighbor appeared in court briefly Thursday as flags around this small California town flew at half-staff in honor of the girl.

Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, his hands shackled in front of him, did not enter a plea. The 15-year-old's arraignment was postponed until Sept. 21, most likely to give the defense more time to build a case, said Santa Cruz District Attorney spokesman Paul Mangasarian.

Gonzalez is being tried as an adult on murder, kidnapping and rape charges.

Read more:

http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Teen-charged-in-death-of-8-year-old-to-appear-in-6414090.php

Madyson Middleton’s mom befriends mother of daughter’s suspected killer: 'We both lost our children that day'

BY  Meg Wagner  / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS / Published: Tuesday, August 4, 2015, 1:41 PM / Updated: Tuesday, August 4, 2015, 3:38 PM

The mom of an 8-year-old California girl who was allegedly killed by her teenage neighbor has found an unlikely friend: the mom of her daughter’s suspected killer.

Since little Madyson (Maddy) Middleton was found dead in a Santa Cruz recycling bin last week, mom Laura Jordan has bonded with Reggie Factor.

“I just love her, and we both lost our children that day. That’s the tragic truth,” Jordan told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I don’t fault her.”

Factor’s son, 15-year-old Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, has been charged as an adult in Maddy’s murder. Police said the teen lured his neighbor to his family’s apartment at the Tannery Arts Center, sexually assaulted her and killed her.

Jordan, who also lives at the Tannery, said she doesn’t blame Factor for her son’s alleged crime.

~Snipped~


Fifteen-year-old Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, who went by A.J., has been charged as an adult in the murder of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton.

The teen — arrested on murder, kidnapping and sexual assault charges — is due back in court next month.

Read more:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/madyson-middleton-mom-doesn-fault-mom-suspected-killer-article-1.2314207

Madyson's mother is one of a kind.
I don't think I would be that big or that big so soon...
Blessings to the woman who understands:
Devastation and tragedy effects the victim and the community...
This mother will heal, and while not forgetting her daughter, she will not let her own personal grief blind her to the grief the other mother feels...

By Crimesider Staff / CBS News / August 13, 2015, 6:04 PM

Coroner: Madyson Middleton died of asphyxiation, stab wounds to neck

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/coroner-madyson-middleton-died-of-asphyxiation-stab-wounds-to-neck/

Teen pleads not guilty in killing of Calif. girl, 8, at artists' complex
By Crimesider Staff CBS/AP September 21, 2015, 3:06 PM

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- A 15-year-old California boy charged as an adult with kidnapping and killing his 8-year-old neighbor has pleaded not guilty.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Adrian Gonzalez entered his plea Monday to charges in Madyson Middleton's death. He also has been accused of sexually assaulting the girl.

Read more:  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/teen-pleads-not-guilty-in-killing-of-california-girl-8-at-artists-complex/