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Teen found in salt marsh was murdered, police say

BOSTON — A prosecutor says the death of a teenager whose body was discovered in a Boston salt marsh earlier this month is being investigated as a homicide.

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said Thursday that authorities believe 16-year-old Carlos Villatoro-Nunez, of East Boston, sustained fatal stab wounds.

His body was found by passersby in the Belle Isle Marsh Reservation in East Boston Dec. 9, almost a month after his family reported him missing.

Conley says decomposition and other factors initially complicated the investigation. He says investigators don't believe the death was random.

The area is state property. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death is being led by state police detectives assigned to Conley's office.

Conley urges anyone with information to contact the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit.