The tiny community of Holmesville, Ont., is reeling after learning a 13-year-old boy is the person charged with first-degree murder after a girl died in hospital earlier this week.
On Thursday, police continued to gather evidence around an abandoned elementary school in rural Huron County.
The girl is similar in age to the accused, residents of the southwestern Ontario town of about 900 people told CBC News.
Their identities are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Police were called to Cut Line Road, between Parr Line and Tipperary Line, in Cental Huron, on Tuesday at around 4:20 p.m. ET.
One young person was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead, said Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
Under the Criminal Code, first-degree murder is defined a killing that is planned and deliberate.
On Thursday, Huron County OPP officers cordoned off the former Holmesville Public School, which closed in 2013, as well as a woodlot near the school.
Police officers could be seen bring out boxes while entering and exiting the abandoned school, and yellow evidence markers dotted a grassy area near the building.
Neighbours in the area said they were shocked and in disbelief that something so violent could happen in their community. Holmesville is between Clinton and Goderich, about 90 kilometres north of London.
The 13-year-old made a brief court appearance on Wednesday and is scheduled to make another one on Friday, his lawyer confirmed.