NELSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — An 18-year-old has been charged with murder in connection with the 17-year-old girl found dead in Portage County Friday evening, according to the Portage County Sheriff's Office.
Zachary Blosser was charged with one count of murder, deputies said.
According to authorities, the incident happened on Knowlton Road in Nelson Township around 4 p.m.
Blosser was taken into custody to be questioned regarding the incident Friday evening but was not immediately charged as crime scene units continued to investigate the scene.
On Friday night, deputies confirmed they were investigating the incident as a homicide, but did not provide details about the incident.
The sheriff's office confirmed the identity of the 17-year-old girl as Kaylee Freitag, Blosser's girlfriend for the past 17 months.
"This is a real difficult situation for everyone," Chief Deputy Ralph Spidalieri with the Portage County Sheriff's Office said. "We have a dead 17-year-old with her whole life ahead of her. And we have an 18-year-old sitting in a jail cell. Nobody wins."
Blosser was arraigned on Monday and his bail was set at $2 million. Investigators confirmed to News 5 his case will be presented to the Portage County Grand Jury on Thursday before Blosser is due back in court on Friday.
Deputies said the incident remains under investigation and further charges may be sought.
"There are some extenuating circumstances that could have led up to this," Spidalieri said.
The Southeast Local School District confirmed Freitag was previously a student in the district and issued the following statement:
Unfortunately, the victim was a student of Southeast Local Schools the past two years. She withdrew from our district to attend online school in August. Counselors will be available throughout the week to assist any students struggling with this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this difficult time.
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