Morgan County, Colo.— Investigators say it’s taken nearly four months to identify the remains of a 15-year-old Fort Morgan teen who vanished in early July.

A 16-year-old suspect is behind bars for murder. While authorities say he will be charged as an adult, they have not released his identity.

Family members say they still have a lot of questions.

“Not scared of anything,” Brandon Henderson said when asked about his nephew, 15-year-old Alex Henderson. But that bravery didn’t save Alex’s life.

The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office says Alex was last seen at his home on Morgan County Road, known as Lover’s Lane, in early July. Two days later, his remains were found. However, his remains weren’t identified until October 10, 2022.

An autopsy revealed that Alex died from a single gunshot wound, and the manner of death was determined to be homicide.

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“I’m really also like wondering why it took them four months to find out Alex died from a gunshot wound. Like, that wasn’t even mentioned before when we talked to the coroner,” said Brandon.

Brandon says he reconnected with his nephew around this time last year when he traveled to Fort Morgan from his home in North Carolina. They grew close during that time and kept in touch up until Alex’s death.

“The first month or so, I wasn’t doing well. I was trying to figure out what was going on. There still hasn’t been a funeral or anything,“ the uncle said.

On top of all that, Brandon says he’s trying to process the fact that a 16-year-old boy is charged with his nephew’s murder.

“I feel like this kid got robbed of his life, and I got robbed of ever really building a relationship with my nephew,” said Brandon.

The 16-year-old is being held at a juvenile detention center with a $1 million cash or surety bond. The sheriff’s office told Denver7 Morgan County District Court issued a gag order in this case, so more information can’t be released.