Police discover body of teenage girl in Victorian bushland after 13-year-old vanished on weekend

Police say death of Layla Jeffery ‘suspicious’ after remains found in town of Donald in western Victoria

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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 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.

On Friday evening, police announced they had arrested the 16-year-old boy from the Swan Hill area after a warrant was executed. Swan Hill 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 in Donald after Layla was reported missing on 5 July. She was last seen on McCracken Street 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.

A 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.