A 14-year-old boy faces first-degree murder charges in the bludgeoning death of 14-year-old Rubi Perez, announced Barton County Attorney J. Colin Reynolds on Thursday. Perez was reported missing on the night of April 8 after attending class at Holy Family School in Great Bend, Kansas, and her body was discovered the next morning behind a large dirt pile in Veterans Memorial Park. The suspect, a classmate at Great Bend Middle School, was arrested that afternoon.
Great Bend police responded to the 4700 block of 17th Street Terrace around 9:10 a.m. on April 9, where they found Perez deceased behind a massive mound of dirt near the town cemetery and Holy Family Catholic Parish Center. The eighth-grade student had been reported missing just after 8:30 p.m. the previous evening. Investigators processed the scene, conducted interviews and executed search warrants, leading to the suspect's arrest later that day at the Barton County Detention Center. A detention hearing is scheduled for April 21, with no motive disclosed by authorities. Perez's friends at Great Bend Middle School expressed shock upon learning of her death. One friend told Wichita ABC affiliate KAKE, 'This morning, I thought it was okay, yesterday felt off... Then I found out she's missing.' Another resident near the scene described seeing police activity: 'There was a big pile of dirt... a lot of cops, maybe 10 or 15 or so.' Loved ones described Perez as a standout student and athlete in track, volleyball and basketball, known for her positivity and kindness. Reports from friends indicated she suffered blunt force trauma to the head from a cinder block, though officials have not released an official cause of death.
