Who killed Carlos Lugo? Mom held out hope 14-year-old son was still alive before body found

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Who killed Carlos Lugo?

The 14-year-old, who had been missing since Jan. 21, is now confirmed dead, and investigators say he was shot multiple times.

"Carlos meant a lot to my family, and it's a family. I just hope that they find whoever did it to him," family friend Nancy Salias said.

His body was found in a field, which leads investigators to believe foul play is involved.

"It's not a place I would want to be," HPD Homicide Det. Kyle Heaverlo said. "I would say there's probably a higher likelihood foul play is involved than not."

Carlos' mother, Rosa, last saw him on Jan. 21, when she said she dropped him off at a friend's apartment on Tidwell.

On Feb. 4, volunteers from Texas Equusearch came across a decomposed body a few miles away.

It took an autopsy to confirm Carlos' identity. He had been shot multiple times.

In Spanish, Rosa told Eyewitness News she had been holding onto hope that Carlos was alive.

She now wants people to remember her son as a kind teenager, and she wants justice.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.