TOLEDO, Ohio — A missing 15-year-old girl was found dead in an alley in the 1300 block of Page Street in north Toledo Monday afternoon, Toledo police said.
On Tuesday, Toledo police identified the victim as 15-year-old DeAsia Green.
Her death is being investigated as a homicide.
"Showing no respect for that person's life and what they meant to their family and what they meant to the people that love them to just leave them in an alley, words can't describe how upsetting that is," Toledo Police Sgt. Mike Kurjan said.
Family reported DeAsia as a missing person Thursday afternoon. A Toledo police spokesperson described DeAsia as a "habitual runaway."
"I think the family of DeAsia had some intuition that this was different than previously," Kurjan said.
The family worked with detectives, which led them to find DeAsia's body in an alley in the area of Spring Street and Stickney Avenue, just north of Page Street, Monday afternoon.
"It sounded like they had a couple leads they were working off of," Kurjan said. "At this time I can't elaborate on that too much but the family was critical in finding DeAsia so they helped our detectives out immensely."
DeAsia's family told police that they had gone to pick her up from a friend's house on Jan. 3, but she wasn't there. DeAsia attended school on Jan. 5, but refused to tell her mother where she was and replied only through text, according to police records.
That same day, Jan. 5, DeAsia's family officially reported her missing.
DeAsia was a freshman at Start High School and a member of Young Men and Women For Change, program coordinator Shawn Mahone said Tuesday.
When DeAsia was 3 years old, her father DeAndre Green was shot and killed while getting into his car in north Toledo on Phillips Avenue.
Family members spoke with WTOL 11 after DeAndre Green's death in October 2010 and pleaded with the community for any information.
"Someone knows something. Any piece of information that you can serve us, the family, or the media, please bring it forward," Leo Tate Jr., DeAndre's grandfather, told WTOL 11 during the interview with the family.
"Life is too short to be harming somebody because somebody said this or somebody said that," Nevetta Fisher, DeAsia's grandmother, said at the time. "That he said/she said something is not going to get you anywhere."
DeAndre Green's homicide remains unsolved and no suspects have been named, Toledo police confirmed Tuesday.
No arrests have been made in DeAsia Green's homicide either.
"Think about that and think if that being someone you love," Kurjan said. "And you would hope and pray that someone would come forward with information and that's all we're asking."
At a vigil held for DeAsia on Page Street Tuesday evening, a loud bang was heard in the area and attendees scattered. Regional dispatch later confirmed to WTOL 11 that fireworks caused the loud noise.
If you have information on DeAsia or DeAndre Green's homicides, you can call or text Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
This is a developing story. Stay with WTOL 11 for the latest.
Editor's note: This story has been edited to correct an error. Green's family reported her missing on Thursday, Jan. 5, not Monday, Jan. 9.