GUADALAJARA.- A 9-year-old boy was murdered in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, officials said.

Elpidio Vega was reported missing last Wednesday and was found two days later in a field in his hometown of Acatic with a gunshot wound to the back of the head, the Jalisco Public Safety Secretariat said.

The boy's mother, Maria Luisa Hernandez, identified his body and told investigators he was not home when she arrived from work on Wednesday, the secretariat said.

The victim left his backpack at home and it was unclear where he had gone, the woman told police.

The boy, who was involved in robbing houses, was addicted to inhalants and was carrying a bag with the substances when he was killed, investigators said.

The boy came from a troubled family, police said.

Elpidio's father is serving time in prison and his 13-year-old brother has been arrested several times for burglary and threatening to kill his mother, who earns a living by salvaging items from the municipal garbage dump, police said.

No arrests have been made in connection with the boy's murder, officials said.

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