WALLA WALLA — Two Kennewick teenagers have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Walla Walla County — while a third has been charged but not yet arrested — in connection to the death of 24-year-old Miguel Perez Barragan, according to court documents.

Joel Poblano, 14, and Kenny S. Sanchez-Garcia, 16, are in custody.

Walla Walla County Prosecuting Attorney James Nagle confirmed Monday, Nov. 21, that Eros E. Patterson, 16, remains at large.

Barragan’s body was found July 5 on Kibler Road near U.S. Highway 12, northeast of Walla Walla, according to court documents.

Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office deputies found the body in “an advanced stage of decomposition,” according to documents.

The body was identified as Perez Barragan a few days later after an autopsy at the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Court documents said the autopsy showed that Perez Barragan, who was reportedly last staying in Walla Walla, was stabbed about nine times in the chest and multiple times in the thigh and hands.

A vehicle connected to the victim was involved in a crash on June 26, in which all three suspects were found with the vehicle at the scene of the crash.

According to court documents, the three teens gave officers false names and said they hit a deer, which caused them to drive off the road and flip the car. The vehicle was found on its roof.

The Walla Walla police officer at the scene checked the teens for weapons and found a pocketknife on Sanchez-Garcia. The officer put the knife in his pocket and forgot about it until later, according to court documents.

When the officer remembered to return the knife, he discovered blood on it. The three teens were taken to Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla for treatment.

The officer returned the knife to Sanchez-Garcia at the hospital, according to court documents.

A tip given to the Kennewick Police Department and shared with Walla Walla officers helped connect the two incidents.

A person who knew one of the teens told Kennewick police that he saw video of the person he knew killing someone in Walla Walla, according to court documents.

Court documents show that police officers from Walla Walla and the Tri-City departments all investigated the case, and the three teens were identified as suspects. Charges were filed Thursday, Nov. 17.

Nagle said Poblano and Sanchez-Garcia are being held at the Walla Walla County Juvenile Detention and currently remain in the juvenile justice system. However, if officials decide to charge the teens as adults, the maximum penalty for first-degree murder is life in prison.

Nagle said the suspects will undergo assessments before a court hearing is scheduled to determine whether each suspect should be tried as an adult or remain in juvenile court.