Man, 18, is charged with murder of 15-year-old boy who was found dead on a country lane near leafy Cheshire village of Knutsford
- Matthew Mason, of Ollerton, was arrested in Forton, Newport, on December 13
- Was charged with murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place
- Alex Rodda’s body was discovered in a village in Cheshire on Friday morning
- The family of the 15-year-old have been informed and are being supported
A suspected murder victim whose body was found in a Cheshire village has been named as 15-year-old Alex Rodda
An 18-year-old man has been charged with the murder of 15-year-old Alex Rodda whose body was found in a Cheshire village.
Matthew Mason, of Ollerton, near Knutsford, was arrested in Forton, Newport, on December 13, hours after the teenager’s body was discovered on Friday morning on Ashley Mill Lane, close to the border of Hale.
Mason, who has been charged with murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place, has been remanded in custody and is set to appear at Crewe Magistrates’ Court on December 16.
The family of Alex, from the Knutsford area, have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers from Cheshire police.
Alex boasted a large social media presence where he regularly posted snaps of himself appearing feminine, with the shape of breasts underneath his shirt.
His grieving family said in a statement: ‘Alex was a very loving, caring, kind, loyal and, most of all, trusting young boy.
‘He loved life and made friends wherever he went. He will be sorely missed.’
Tributes also poured in to Alex’s Instagram page, with loved ones hailing him as a ‘gorgeous boy’ whose ‘infectious smile would light up the room’.
A friend wrote: ‘Heartbroken is an understatement. Words can not describe how we are feeling.’
Another posted: ‘Never failed to make me laugh rest easy angel.’
Detectives are currently working to understand the circumstanced around the boy’s death.
His grieving family said in a statement: ‘Alex was a very loving, caring, kind, loyal and, most of all, trusting young boy’
DCI Simon Blackwell, of Cheshire Constabulary’s Major Crime Directorate, said: ‘Our thoughts are with Alex’s family at this extremely difficult time.
‘They are currently being supported by specialist officers and we request for their privacy to be respected.
‘We are in the very early stages of our investigation into Alex’s death, which we are treating as a murder.
‘I would like to reassure the community that this is believed to be an isolated incident and we are doing everything we can to establish exactly what has taken place.
‘Various enquiries are ongoing and we are appealing for anyone with any information or footage that may be relevant to our investigation to get in touch.’
Police cars are pictured above lined up along the road after a body was discovered on Friday morning
Police have today named the suspected murder victim as Alex Rodda. A police cordon is above
Forensic officers were pictured above on Friday combing the woodland area for clues
The Cheshire village sits below Hale and Bowdon in neighbouring Trafford.
Friends and family members rushed to social media to pay tribute to the teenager with many commenting ‘rest in peace’.
Others said it was a ‘cruel world’ and that he would be ‘truly missed’.
Anyone with information or CCTV or dashcam footage that may help the investigation should call Cheshire Constabulary on 101, quoting IML 587226, give the details via https://www.cheshire.police.uk or contact
Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
This morning a police cordon remained in place while investigators remained at the scene, as forensic officers combed the nearby woodland area.
A section of the road off Ashley Mill Lane – which runs through an area of fields and thick woodland – remains closed off.
Pictured is the entry to Ashley Mill Lane in Ashley