A 14-year-old boy was charged Thursday with involuntary manslaughter in the death of his 5-year-old stepsister, who died last month after becoming trapped inside a locked, heavy-load washing machine at a Virginia coin-operated laundry.

The boy, whose name is not being released because of his age, was charged after a three-week police investigation.

Chilhowie Police Chief Dwayne Sheffield, who heads a small police force of only five officers, said his department worked tirelessly in attempt to figure out how the "most horrible" event unfolded the night of June 17.

Rebecca "Hope" Wagoner, her brother and mother Rebecca Billings Wagoner were the only ones inside the Village Laundry that night, Sheffield said. Hope's mother left to make a phone call outside, leaving the two children inside alone.

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When the mother returned, she found her 30-pound daughter spinning inside the machine filled with water.

Billings Wagoner told police she saw no emergency stop button or electrical cord to stop the machine, so she smashed a rock through the glass door in an attempt to save her child.

Sheffield said officers and rescue workers found the girl unconscious when they arrived about 9:30 p.m. and water from the machine covered the laundry floor.

The girl was whisked to a Tennessee hospital, but was pronounced dead shortly after. The autopsy report released by the Virginia Medical Examiner's Office listed asphyxiation as the cause of death, due to the girl's confinement in the water-filled machine.

Police reviewed security camera videos from the store and fingerprints on money inside the machine, and interviewed the washer's manufacturer, Pellerin Milnor Corporation in Louisiana. Under normal operation, the Automatic Washer-Extractor spins 451 revolutions at high speed and requires 11 quarters to run. Once the washer begins, the door is locked until the cycle ends 31 minutes later.

Investigators initially speculated the machine had malfunctioned and that the 5-year-old had climbed inside and the cycle began on its own. Later, the investigation shifted toward the family, with police focusing on the stepbrother's actions while he was left unattended.

Social Services removed five children from the Wagoner's custody and placed them with other family members during the investigation. Police were also considering charges of neglect against Billings Wagoner, but none have been filed.

Sheffield would not detail the police findings, but he said the investigation was complete.

"It would really be detrimental to the prosecution of this case to comment further on statements or give out information regarding the case or investigation," Sheffield said. "As far as the decision to file charges, I'll leave that for the prosecutor."

Calls to the Smyth County prosecutor, the Wagoner family, and their attorney were not returned.

Currently, the 14-year-old is awaiting arraignment in a juvenile facility. Under Virginia law, prosecutors could opt to charge the 14-year-old as an adult, but no information has been released about whether they will do so. The teen could face 10 years in jail if tried and convicted as an adult.