Updated at 4:50 p.m. ET: CLAYTON, N.J. -- Two teenage brothers have been charged in the death of 12-year-old Autumn Pasquale, whose body was found in a recycling bin, a New Jersey prosecutor says.

Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton said Pasquale died in a manner consistent with strangulation.

"Preliminary investigation shows no signs of sexual assault,” Dalton said, adding “she was lured to the juveniles’ house where this crime was committed." 

Authorities said they believe the boys wanted parts from Autumn's bike and that she was lured into the house, but Dalton would not speculate on a motive for her killing.

The boys' father, Alonzo Robinson, told The Star-Ledger of Newark earlier Tuesday that he was interviewed about his sons' involvement in Autumn's disappearance. He said his sons were known for stealing bikes and police told him they found bike parts stockpiled in the basement. He told the newspaper that one of the boys had been previously charged for theft.

"I think someone wanted the girl's bicycle," Robinson said. "Maybe she wanted her bike and resisted, and one of them snatched her off a bike."

Joseph Kaczmarek / AP

Gina Bateman, left, and her sister Carmen Bateman watch as investigators gather at a house on Clayton Avenue in Clayton N.J. on Oct. 23, after the discovery of a girl's body in a home's recycling bin.

Autumn was last seen around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday leaving her Clayton home while riding a white BMX bike to a friend's house. The girl’s parents called police after she never made it to that friend's house.

Her body was found late Monday in the recycling bin of a home where the teens' live, about seven blocks from her own, authorities say.

The boys, ages 15 and 17, are charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, disposal of a body, tampering of evidence and theft. The 15-year-old boy was also charged with one count of luring, Dalton said. Both were in police custody.

Clayton NJ residents face grisly news - missing girl’s body found

Police believe the boys lured Autumn to their home, promising her parts for her BMX bike. During their investigation, the mother of the teens contacted police regarding postings on a Facebook account of one of the suspects, according to officials.

“Today we mourn the loss of a young girl…whose life was cut short before it really began,” Dalton said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to her parents, her family. It is my hope that the arrests today provide a measure of closure, that the individuals responsible for their daughter’s death will be held responsible.”

The case spread fear and worries through the New Jersey town that had been desperately searching for the girl since she disappeared while on a ride through the neighborhood.

Autumn would have celebrated her 13th birthday on Monday.

"There's evil everywhere, even in the small town of Clayton," said Paul Spadafora, Autumn's uncle.

Earlier Tuesday, Spadafora spoke with community members, thanking each of them of helping in the search for his niece.

Hundreds of volunteers took part in the search effort, including the Clayton Police Department, Child Abduction Response Team, New Jersey State Police, the FBI and officers from 40 other police departments.

Autumn's bike was found Tuesday by police inside the same small house where Autumn's body was found Monday night, NJ.com reported.

Autumn's family was notified of the discovery, according to police.

"This is a very sad day for the Pasquale family," Dalton said in a press release. "Our hearts go out to the family and to all the residents of Clayton who stood together in support of this young girl."

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Joseph Kaczmarek / AP

Investigators gather at a house on Clayton Avenue in Clayton, N.J., on Oct. 23, after the discovery of a girl's body in a home's recycling bin.

Not long before the body was found, hundreds of people gathered at a candlelight vigil to pray for her safe return, NJ.com reported.

The prosecutor’s office and family had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to her return.

DeAnna Edwards-McMillen, a friend of Autumn’s, said Autumn was at her house Friday night and the two sent each other text messages on Saturday. The last one was received at 1:22 p.m. and DeAnna said she didn't believe it was meant for her, according to The Associated Press.

The text read, "don't be like that," she said.

Autumn’s last text message was sent around 2:30 p.m., but Dalton, the prosecutor, would not say who it was intended for or what it said, The AP reported. Dalton said that there was nothing unusual about that message.

Joseph Kaczmarek / AP

Family members of Autumn Pasquale participate in a candlelight vigil on Oct. 22 in Clayton, N.J.

Autumn was reported missing at about 9:30 p.m., 90 minutes past her 8 p.m. curfew, Spadofora said, according to The AP.

"Say your prayers for Autumn and all the children who are lost and can't find their way home," Spadafora said at a vigil Monday, NJ.com reported.

Earlier on Monday, Clayton Mayor Tom Bianco said he was proud of the community’s joint effort in searching for Autumn.

“I can only imagine what her parents and the rest of the family are thinking right now,” Bianco said, according to NJ.com. “I have kids. I can’t even tell you what I feel now. We’ll get through and find her.”

The Facebook group, Find Autumn Pasquale, has more than 14,000 “likes,” with members offering condolences and words of support.  

“My family misses u and im so glade that u had such a good time with us camping last weekend [sic],” commented Michelle Doughty after the news was announced early Tuesday. “I have such good memories of u and will always miss u. I will always have u in my heart.”

NBCPhiladelphia.com's David Chang and Karen Araiza contributed to this report, as did NBC News's Sevil Omer.

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WLNS-TV

Undated photo of Charles Zigler, whose mummified body was found in his friend's home on July 6.

A 72-year-old Michigan woman who authorities say kept the body of her longtime companion in her house for more than 18 months after he died is being charged with cashing more than $28,000 worth of his benefit checks.

The Jackson County prosecuting attorney’s office on Wednesday issued a warrant charging Linda Lou Chase with two counts of forgery.  

The mummified corpse of Chase’s 67-year-old housemate and companion, Charles Zigler, was found July 6 seated in a chair in the house. Jackson, Mich., police went to the home after getting a 911 call from one of Zigler’s relatives who became concerned after not being able to contact him.

An autopsy determined Zigler died of natural causes -- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Police believe Zigler died around Christmas 2010 and his body had been left decaying in a cloth recliner chair in the living room since that time.

Prosecutors say Chase forged Zigler’s signature and cashed his monthly Social Security and pension benefits after his death. They also still are investigating whether he may have been receiving veterans’ benefits, too.

Though the maximum penalty for forgery is 14 years, it’s unlikely Chase will spend any significant amount of time – if any – behind bars because of her age and health.

“There’s no chance at all she get that kind of sentence. It’s a practical impossibility in this case,” Mark Blumer, Jackson County chief assistant prosecutor, said Thursday.

“It’s open to serious questions whether she would ever see the inside of a prison or jail. We want her to make restitution and see whether she needs some kind of mental help.”

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“This is a very unusual case,” Prosecutor Hank Zavislak said in a press release. “Given the circumstances it is clear a comprehensive mental examination is in order. I would expect that to be ordered as the case progresses.”

Chase will not be charged in connection with keeping her boyfriend’s body in her house for more than a year and a half.

“We researched the law in Michigan and found out there doesn’t appear to be statute that appropriately covers what she did or didn’t do with respect to the gentleman’s body,” Blumer said.

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Most of Michigan’s current laws concerning bodies deal with inappropriate disposition by a licensed mortician or removal to interfere with a criminal investigation.

“She literally did not move the body – so moving a body before the medical examiner could examine it doesn’t apply,” Blumer said.

Once a judge signs the warrant, Chase will be arrested, brought before the court and arraigned. A date for a probable cause hearing would then be set.

“This is a sad and unfortunate case on many fronts,” Zavislak said.

Previous stories:

911 call that led to body: 'Nobody's heard from him in quite a while'

Woman who kept friend’s body in house for 18 months: 'I didn't do it to be evil'

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WLNS-TV

Undated photo of Charles Zigler, whose mummified body was found in his friend's home on July 6.

Police in Jackson, Mich., are investigating why a 72-year-old woman kept the body of a friend in her house for more than a year and a half after he died, reportedly cleaning him and watching TV with him.

Police found the mummified body of Charles Zigler, 67, on Friday, covered with blankets in a living room recliner, in the home of his long-time friend Linda Chase, according to local media reports.

"He just went to sleep," Chase told WILX-TV.

Officers went to Chase’s house after a family member became concerned for his welfare and called police, Lt. Chris Simpson told mlive.com.

It's unclear why the family member, who was not identified, waited so long to call. Simpson did not immediately return a telephone call to msnbc.com on Wednesday for comment.

An autopsy determined Zigler died of natural causes -- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -- around Christmas 2010, according to the medical examiner.

Chase admitted to police that she cashed Zigler's Social Security checks and kept his body, mlive.com reported.

Police are investigating and will submit a report to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office for review and possible charges, including fraud, Simpson said, according to mlive.com.

The prosecutor’s office said Wednesday the police were still reviewing the case.

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Chase acknowledged to reporters she should have called authorities when Zigler died, but said she wasn’t ready to let go and didn’t want to be alone.

“That’s morbid what I did. It really is. It’s horrible,” she told WLNS-TV. 

She called Zigler “my best friend” and said she could tell him “anything.”

“I knew I should have called the ambulance. I know that. I know that in my heart. I didn’t do it to be evil,” she told WLNS.

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For more than a year after he died, Chase cleaned him, talked to him and watched NASCAR races on TV with him, mlive.com reported.

Walter “Wally” Zigler said his father had been ill for years. He had emphysema and used an oxygen tank to breathe, the son told mlive.com. 

Walter Zigler learned of his father’s death on Tuesday.  

“That wasn’t right to leave him lay like that,” he told mlive.com.

Walter Zigler, who lives in Jackson, said his father had worked for years in a Jackson shop and received Social Security and pension checks and veteran benefits. He said he tried more than once to visit his father but Chase “wouldn’t let me see him,” mlive.com reported.

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SAN DIEGO -- A mine rescue team from Los Angeles will help recover a man’s body discovered in the Anza Borrego Desert east of San Diego.

The remains may be those of hiker Guillermo Pino, Jr., who has been missing since Easter Sunday.

“We have never given up and we didn’t and we found him,” Guillermo Roberto Pino Sr. said Monday night.

After weeks of searching and two days spent trying to recover the body, the Pino family now faces another setback.

Search and rescue workers suspended the recovery effort Monday when a geology expert with the State Parks agency agreed the area was too unstable to continue.

The body is wedged in a 50-foot hole inside a mud cave where searchers say the walls are so soft and sandy that they are crumbling.

The caves are pitch-black narrow holes that wind around and drop into deeper holes.

After working at the site for most of the day Monday, a specialized cave rescue team determined the work was too treacherous.

"We're trying to get the soil stabilized first of all so you don't have a cascade, an avalanche of soil as you make some progress. And you don't want to make the situation worse than it is," said Jan Caldwell with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Pino’s father is now asking for help from the state to complete the recovery effort.

“I would like to formally make a request to CALEMA, the California Emergency Management Agency, to please provide the efforts for the extraction of my son with a vacuum cleaner with the capacity to suck up dirt from a distance of 40 to 50 feet,” Pino said.

He’s also pleading with anybody who may have an industrial- grade vacuum cleaner or comparable technology to help.

When asked if such equipment existed, an exasperated Pino said “This is America.”

The family hired a private investigator to lower a camera into the deep hole over the weekend. They said clothing appears to identify the body as Pino.

See video and read the original report at NBCSanDiego.com

The next step involves a mine rescue team, affiliated with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, that arrived Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. They’ll evaluate the area and try to figure out a way to shore-up the walls to send someone down there safely.

So far the mine team has tested the terrain and has tried different techniques to see if the sand can withstand the weight. Around 20 crew members with the LA County mine team, sheriffs state park agency are on the premises.

Pino disappeared on Easter Sunday while on a hike with several family members.

His father thanked everyone who showed up to help in the search. Some of those volunteers were strangers.

“They just kept us going, kept us going for the last three weeks until we found him,” he said.

He also thanked the “countless” others who have helped the family physically or spiritually.

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Authorities are conducting tests on the body of Johnathan Ramsey to determine if he was starved to death.

Skeletal remains found in a rural creek south of Dallas are likely those of Johnathan Ramsey, a 10-year-old boy who was allegedly starved to death by his parents, authorities said Wednesday.

Judge Bill Woody said the Dallas County medical examiner made the provisional identification based on circumstances of the case as described by investigators. DNA test results are pending, and X-ray tests will be conducted to determine if the boy was starved to death, he added.

The medical examiner's office declined to comment because the case involves remains found in another county.

Read the full story at NBC 5 Dallas Fort Worth

The boy's father, Aaron Ramsey, and his stepmother, Elizabeth Ramsey, face charges of injury to a child. Each is being held at the Dallas County Jail on $500,000 bail.

Authorities say the boy was confined to a room and starved as punishment. 

According to affidavits, the boy's father said he found the boy unconscious in his room and that he wrapped the child up and put him in a vacant nearby house's storm shelter. Ramsey told investigators he dumped the boy's body in Ennis, Texas, a day or two later.

The Dallas Morning News reported that the remains were discovered Saturday in a creek bed where authorities say the child's father told police he put the body last year. The bones also were inside a sleeping bag matching one described by the father.

The remains were found "under a log" in three feet of water, Woody said. 

Starla Swanson, the boy's maternal step-grandmother, said the medical examiner's office contacted Johnathan's mother with the news on Wednesday.

"It's been very rough knowing that he's been gone this long," Swanson said. "Her emotions and the whole family's are so mixed, but now it's become painfully real."

The Associated Press and msnbc.com's Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.

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