A 17-year-old boy who was found dead on a neighborhood street in Centreville, Virginia, last week died of a gunshot wound to the head, a medical examiner said Tuesday.
A newspaper delivery man discovered Matthew Ortega about 5 a.m. Wednesday on Jeb Stuart Square.
Ortega was an 11th grade student at Centreville High School. The school made crisis team members available to work with students individually and in groups, according to a message Principal Dave Jagels sent to students and parents.
"He was a bright and engaging student who will be greatly missed by our school community," Jagels wrote.
Neighbors say the house near where Ortega's body was found had been vacant for some time.
Police said that Ortega suffered trauma to the upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His death is being investigated as a homicide, police say.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
No arrests have been made.
A GoFundMe page was created to help the teenager's family with funeral expenses. As of Tuesday afternoon, donations had exceeded $15,000 toward the $13,000 goal.
The page also says that Ortega's father recently died.
