A 16-Year-Old Girl Vanished in June — Her Body Was Found Days Later. Now Police Have a Suspect By KC Baker

A 19-year-old Oklahoma man has been charged in connection with the death of a 16-year-old girl who went missing in June, authorities said.

On Thursday, Oct. 30, Brayden Brown was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said in a statement. He was already booked into the Beaver County Jail on unrelated charges at the time.

The most recent arrest stems from a suspicious death investigation after the body of a teenage girl was found in a rural section of Beaver County on June 12, per the statement. The victim was a 16-year-old female from Hooker.

The victim, later identified by authorities in July as London Valdez, had been reported missing by her grandmother five days before her body was found, KFDA, KVII and KAMR reported.

Valdez’s cause and manner of death was determined to be acute methamphetamine toxicity, compounded by hyperthermia, according to the OSBI statement, which added that she was allegedly traveling with Brown a few days before she died.

After speaking to Brown, investigators learned that he was intoxicated on methamphetamine while the two were traveling, the OSBI alleged.

“Brown was driving the vehicle and got stuck on a dirt road just north of the intersection where the victim was found deceased,” per the statement. 

Brown then exited the vehicle and fled the scene. That was the last time Valdez was seen alive.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE‘s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

According to her obituary, Valdez died on June 7. 

She had a “big heart for rescuing animals,” it says. “She also enjoyed playing softball, listening to music and hanging out with her friends. Her biggest joy was the time she spent hiking at Red River, NM, or in the mountains, and driving around Ponca Lake with her mother, Brittany.”

Besides looking out for animals, Valdez was “always there for anyone who needed her or just needed someone to listen. She was particularly kind to the ‘underdog’ … and was always putting others before herself.”

“London will be forever 16 in the hearts of those who loved her,” the obituary says.

Authorities are continuing to investigate.

It is unclear whether Brown has retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.