PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) – Trinidad police say a 26-year-old man is assisting their investigations following the death of 12-year-old Mercedez Layne, whose body was discovered on Sunday, in Erin, a coastal village located along the southwestern peninsula in the country .

Police said that Mercedez was reported missing on Saturday by her grandfather, after she had spent the previous night at his residence. The police said the grandfather had placed her into a vehicle, intended to transport the child to her home.

“However, information later received indicated that Mercedez never arrived at her destination. The girl’s mother subsequently went to the Erin Police Station along with the child’s grandfather, and a missing person investigation was immediately launched,”   the police said.

They said acting on information received and after reviewing CCTV footage, officers identified the vehicle in which the child had last been seen travelling, and that the vehicle was later located abandoned, where it was photographed, processed and conveyed to the Erin Police Station as part of the ongoing investigation.

Police said that on Sunday, an employee of an oil company went to inspect a well and while traversing the roadway, he discovered the body of a young female lying face down along the well access road.

A report was immediately made to the Erin Police Station, and first responders proceeded to the scene, where the body was subsequently identified as that of the missing child.

The police say a 26-year-old has been detained in connection with the matter and “remains in police custody as enquiries continue”.