PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A suspect in the death of Ryan Rogers has been arrested, police said Wednesday night.
Palm Beach Gardens police confirmed to WPTV that an arrest has been made in Miami-Dade County and a news conference was scheduled for Thursday morning.
Police said the suspect's name is being withheld at this time.
The 14-year-old William T. Dwyer Community High School freshman was found dead Nov. 16 near the Central Boulevard sidewalk at the Interstate 95 overpass, less than 24 hours after his mother reported him missing, police said. A bicycle was found near the body.
Cindi Rogers wrote on Facebook that her son went out for a bicycle ride early in the evening on Nov. 15 and didn't return home.
Palm Beach Gardens police later said the teenager was the victim of a homicide and not a traffic-related collision.
Ryan Rogers was an avid soccer enthusiast who had been part of the Palm Beach Gardens Youth Athletic Association since he was 4 years old.
A caravan of SUVs was seen arriving at the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department. The suspect was believed to be inside one of the vehicles.
Retired FBI Agent John MacVeigh spoke to WPTV, calling the arrest "good police work that they could have done this within two weeks, especially if it's a stranger," he said.
"It could have been a case that seriously could have went for a long time without being solved," MacVeigh said.
A motive for the killing was not immediately known.
Still, it provided a sense of relief from parents and residents concerned that a killer walked among them.
"Hopefully it'll put some peace of mind, not only to myself, but to other parents locally," Dylan Snyder, a father whose son was finishing baseball practice at the Gardens North County District Park, told WPTV shortly after the arrest was announced. "I mean, I know that we've had to, you know, really just watch and keep a close eye on our kids lately."
