Mother seeks answers after 12-year-old son found dead on roadside in Canyon Country area

CANYON COUNTRY, SANTA CLARITA (KABC) -- It's been a month since Sulma Ayala's 12-year-old son was found dead from a gunshot wound in the Canyon Country area and she says she still isn't sure what happened.

"There are many unanswered questions, and that's what I demand, as a mom, that they tell me the truth," she said.

She said her son, Willian Ayala, left their home on Sunday, Nov. 5, at around 11 p.m.

She thought he had returned and fell asleep. The next morning, detectives showed up to her home to deliver the tragic news.

"There is a body, but it looks like Willian," they told her. She said she "was still calling him with the hope it wasn't my son."

According to investigators, the body was found in a remote area on Sand Canyon Road.

They say there was another juvenile who went with Ayala at the time of the incident. Investigators said they were handling a gun when it went off accidentally. But the mother asks, 'Why didn't the other boy call for help?' She says some things don't add up.

"The way the body was left, and the way it was left at the location, it's devastating because I had hope it wasn't my son. Then I told them I wanted to see the body," said the mother.

Ayala said she saw her son's body and was told he was shot in the head. Now, she wants more information about the other young boy involved.

Detectives didn't want to go on camera Tuesday, but told ABC7 this is an ongoing investigation and they are still gathering information.

"He was a good boy, and he didn't deserve to die the way he did," said Ayala.

Detectives said they will present the case to the district attorney soon. Then, it will be up to the DA's office to decide whether there was any criminal negligence and to file charges.

Correction: An earlier version of this reported stated that Willian Ayala was found murdered. Sheriff's detectives have described the case as a death investigation, and no arrest or murder charge has been announced.