Kirsty Mckenzie
A MAN has been arrested over the death of a nine-year-old boy in La Rioja.
Francisco Javier A. L, 54, who has previously served time in prison after killing a real estate agent in Logrono in 1998, who cuffed on suspicion of murder by police late on Thursday night (October 28).
A number of witnesses confirmed that they had seen a man talking to a young boy dressed in a Halloween costume.
A little girl raised the alarm at around 8.25pm on Thursday after seeing the man take the young boy away and locals rushed to find him.
The victim was later found in the doorway of a home in the area, alive but unconscious.
An ambulance raced to the scene but tragically the nine-year-old passed away.
Police said there were no visible wounds on his body and the cause of death will be determined by an autopsy.
After the officers arrived on the scene, there were moments of tension, when around 200 people gathered and shouted at police to let them enter the building so they could ‘lynch’ the detainee.
A number of residents raged that they had previously warned the authorities that the suspect had tried to take children from the area. “You called us crazy and would just send two [officers] and now a child has had to die for you to all come along here and protect the murderer,” one female resident shouted at the officers.
The suspect was taken into custody by the Civil Guard in Logrono.
Police remain at the scene.
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