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DENVER (KDVR) — Family and friends have identified the teen girl whose body was found in an alley over the weekend in Denver as 17-year-old Jasmine Rivas Hernandez.

The Denver Police Department is investigating this as a homicide. The girl’s body was found Saturday afternoon in an alley near Colfax Avenue and Quebec Street.

“She was a very nice person and she cared about a lot of people,” said Leslie Hernandez, describing her older sister.

“I love her very much,” she said before she got emotional.

Ximena Monarrez is also struggling tonight. She’s a friend of Jasmine’s and has been comforting family members.

“She was beautiful, like I love her so much,” Monarrez said. “She was a strong person. She did not deserve what she went through,” she said.

The girl’s family started a GoFundMe to help fund her funeral. They also plan to honor her life with a balloon release Tuesday afternoon near where her body was found.

Denver Police said someone reported finding a woman down on the ground early Saturday. The family confirmed that her body had bruises.

Police say they are actively investigating and gathering information about the circumstances and the person or people responsible.

Friends and family say they want justice.