12-year-old arrested in the murder of Leila Fowler. The murder last month of Leila Fowler rocked the peaceful community of Valley Springs, California. An intensive manhunt was set off in the tiny community southeast of Sacramento for a man Leila's 12-year-old brother told police he saw run away from the house.

Leila's brother appeared with his father and his stepmother at a candlelight vigil for his sister a few days later.  Suspicion he was somehow involved grew in the small community. On Saturday, the boy was arrested for the murder of his sister and charged with homicide.

"It's bad enough to lose a child. I can't imagine losing a child by one of my own children," Patti Campbell, a local community member, told press.

"It's just shocking. I don't know what else to say," Campbell said.

Police did not release specifics of what lead to the arrest of the 12-year-old boy, who was not identified by name. Following Leila's death, neighbors and investigators searched homes, storage sheds, outbuildings, and barns extensively. Divers also searched reservoirs nearby.

Hours before he was arrested, the boy's mother said he "could never hurt his sister. I've never seen him be mean to her," said Priscilla Rodriquez, the boy's biological mother.

Following the April 27 attack, Leila's brother told investigators he saw an intruder running away from their home then found his sister's body while the siblings were home alone. A neighbor said she'd also seen someone, but later revoked her corroboration of his story. The boy told police the intruder was a tall, gray-haired man.  Authorities said there was no sign of a burglary or robbery. They seized several knives from the Fowler home.

Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz said that authorities had spent over 2,000 hours on the investigation before they arrested the boy at 5:10 p.m. Saturday.