Ex-boyfriend Kody Cree Patton arrested in murder of girl, 16, found buried in desert grave
A high school senior was arrested Monday in the death of a former gal pal whose body was found in a shallow desert grave in Nevada, local police said.
Kody Cree Patten, 18, was arrested on suspicion of murder at around 2 a.m. by police hunting for the killer of Micaela Costanzo, 16, according to the Elko County Sherriff's Office.
Vice Principal Craig Kyllonen said Patten and the murdered teen had once dated.
"They were friends," Kyllonen told Deseret News. "We do know that they had a past relationship where they did date each other at one point."
Students at the tight-knit school were devastated by the announcement, which came just hours after Costanzo's body was positively identified by police.
"They're tired. Emotionally, they're spent," Kyllonen told the paper.
Costanzo, a popular two-sport athlete, was last seen leaving West Wendover High School after track practice on Thursday evening, according to published reports. She was reported missing on Friday, prompting more than 100 volunteers across the state to search for the teen.
The searcher who found the grave said he was driving on a rural road near the Utah border Saturday when he noticed some ground had been dug up.
Investigators responded to the scene and set up tents while they carefully excavated the site.
Her body was taken to a medical examiner's office, but authorities hadn't released a cause of death by Monday afteoon.
School officials brought in grief counselors to meet with students, and a candlelight vigil was planned for 6 p.m. Monday.
"It's very solemn," said high school counselor Anne Crawford. "There's lots of tears and there's a lot of people very scared or nervous."
Students at West Wendover High School in Nevada after investigators announced they had found Costanzo's body. (KSL-TV)
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