On Thursday, Detectives of the Portage Police Department received critical information with regards to the identity of the subject that 27 year old Adriana Saucedo had met on Facebook. This subject was discovered to be a 15-year old male from Gary. He was located at the Thea Bowman Leadership Academy (9th grade) located at 3401 West 5th Ave in Gary and detained by Portage Detectives. He was then transported back to the Portage Police Department Detective Bureau where his parents met with Detectives.
During the course of our investigation, Detectives identified two other subjects believed to be present at the time of Ms. Saucedo was picked up from her home in what we understand to be a prearranged purchase of a small amount of Marijuana. Those subjects are identified as a 16-year old male and a 17-year male both from Gary.
Also during the course of our investigation, police learned that Ms. Saucedo was shot inside the vehicle in which she was picked up, in what appears to be a robbery of her money she was to use for the Marijuana purchase. The subjects drove to Gary where they callously dumped Ms. Saucedo in an abandoned elementary school (Horace S. Norton) located at 1356 Harrison Boulevard.
Captain Reynolds, Detectives Biggs and Heuberger and Chief Williams went to Horace Norton School where they began searching for Ms. Saucedo and ultimately found her deceased.The Gary Police Department and their MAG Unit (Multi-Agency Gang Unit) assisted in searching for the 16-year old and 17-year old suspects.
The 16-year old suspect was located at his home and transported back to the Portage Police Department where his parents met with Detectives. The 17-year old suspect was not at home last night and is still at-large. He and his family are aware that police are looking for him, according to police. The 15-year old is currently detained at the Porter County Juvenile Detention Facility and the 16-year old is currently detained at the Lake County Juvenile Detention Facility.