HERNDON, Va. — A 17-year-old Muslim girl is dead and a man has been arrested and charged with murder after she was assaulted near a mosque on Sunday in Herndon, police and family members say.

A spokesperson for the family confirms the missing girl was 17-year-old Nabra Mohmod Hassanen of Reston. She had been praying for Ramadan at the ADAMS (All Dulles Area Muslim Society) center. She then decided to walk with a group of friends to get something to eat before their religious fast. Sadly, Hassanen never returned.

What family members believe to be her body was found in a pond at 21500 Ridgetop Circle in Sterling, Fairfax County Police say.

Authorities are waiting for the medical examiner to confirm her identity and determine cause of death.

Police tell ABC7 the group had a dispute with a driver and Hassanen was assaulted. Fairfax County Police and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office started searching for the missing teen as early as 4:00 a.m.

Shortly after the incident, police in the area noticed a car driving suspiciously and began a traffic stop on Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, of Sterling. He was taken into custody as a suspect, and later charged with murder.

“What investigators told the father and the mother, he hit her in the head and put her in the car and he threw her in the water,” said family friend and spokesperson Abas Sherif.

Police say they are not investigating the murder as a hate crime.

Source: WSBT