WASHINGTON — A Northern Virginia teenager is missing, and police think his life could be in danger.
Miguel Angel Ruiz Carrillo, of the Alexandria section of Fairfax, was last seen in a wooded area near the end of Pole Road and Pondside Terrace on Thursday evening.
“Detectives now have reason to believe that this is a gang-related incident,” said Officer Don Gotthardt, a spokesman for the Fairfax County Police Department. “We are concerned for his safety.”
He stressed there is no information that 18-year-old Ruiz Carrillo, of the 4200 block of Buckman Road, is himself a gang member.
Fairfax County police do not publicly name gangs, out of concern that it would provide needless publicity. But the international criminal gang MS-13 has a presence in Northern Virginia and is blamed for three murders this year in Virginia and two others in Montgomery County, Maryland, last year.
Since he was reported missing by his family on Friday, police have conducted searches by helicopter and have used canine teams to look for him while detectives carry out their investigation.
Police are asking for the public’s help in finding Ruiz Carrillo. Anyone with information is asked to call Fairfax County police at 703-691-2131.
