A Montgomery County teenager was charged with first-degree murder, authorities said Monday, after a four-month investigation into the stabbing death of a high school classmate whose body was found in a Germantown creek.

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       The arrest of the 17-year-old, who was charged as an adult in the slaying of Jailyn Jones, also 17, comes as officials continued sounding the alarm over rising violence among juveniles in Maryland’s largest county, just north of Washington.

       “We need to come together as a community,” said Montgomery County Council member Sidney Katz (D-District 3), who chairs the Public Safety Committee. “People are concerned about safety — in general, for children, and for themselves.”

       “We have seen an increase in violence, particularly, in the Germantown area,” Montgomery Police Chief Marcus Jones said Monday, referring to crime being committed by and against juveniles. “We’re starting to see a younger trend.”

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       He stressed that residents need to speak with police if they see trouble brewing among teens or if they have information about specific cases.

       “We want to assure the public that we are doing our very best to really try to stay on top of the information, but we need cooperation,” the chief said. “There needs to be a call to action from the community to do something.”

       Both the victim and suspect were students at Northwest High School and knew each other, officials said. The victim was found with multiple stab wounds to his head and torso on Jan. 24 in the area of Grotto Lane and Great Seneca Highway.

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       The Washington Post generally does not name juveniles charged in crimes until they are in circuit court. The 17-year-old suspect made his first court appearance Monday in district court, where his attorney, David Moyse, asked that he be released to home detention with an ankle monitor.

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       Moyse said his client would not flee and would show up for future court hearings — as evidenced by him never leaving the area during the months he knew he was a suspect and culminating in his turning himself in on Sunday.

       “He has not fled the jurisdiction, even for a moment,” Moyse said.

       Detectives appear to have built their case against the teenager in large part on evidence found near the scene, specifically a pair of boots and jeans that had blood on them, officials said. The items were tested for DNA, authorities alleged, with the tests showing genetic material from both the victim and the suspect.

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       “The DNA of the defendant was on a pair of jeans that the victim’s blood is on,” prosecutor Marybeth Ayres said in court. “DNA of the defendant was also on a pair of boots that the victim’s blood is on.”

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       She added that he boots and jeans appeared to have been discarded on a path leading away from the crime scene in the direction of the defendant’s home.

       Moyse said the alleged genetic evidence “offers itself to several different theories and explanations” consistent with his client’s “complete innocence.” The attorney declined to elaborate, saying it is too early to delve into specifics.

       “There’s no denying that this was a vicious attack,” Moyse said. “It’s a matter of making sure that we follow the law.”

       In court Monday, District Judge John Moffett ordered the teen held without bond.

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       Police allege that on Jan. 21, the victim told a friend over social media he was going to meet “Tay.” Detectives were able to confirm, through footage of a security camera near Jones’s home, that he left his residence about 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 21, according to police.

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       His mother reported him missing. His body was found three days later. Investigators were eventually able to connect the nickname to the 17-year-old suspect, police said.

       “The victim was stabbed many times,” Ayres said in court.

       Jones, the police chief, indicated there could be additional arrests in the case. He declined to detail any possible motives but described the case as terrible for both the suspect and the victim.

       “This is a double tragedy, let’s be real. We have a 17-year-old who is arrested for a murder,” the chief said. “Mr. Jones is an absolute tragedy. … It makes no sense that this young man lost his life.”