Google to remove image of slain teen from online map

Google said Tuesday it will update its online mapping imagery to remove a satellite picture of the body of a teenager shot dead in the US state of California. "Our hearts go out to the family of this young boy," said Google Maps vice president Brian McClendon. "Google has never accelerated the replacement of updated satellite imagery from our maps before, but given the circumstances we wanted to make an exception in this case." The 14-year-old's body was found in 2009 near railroad tracks in the city of Richmond, not far from San Francisco. A satellite image in Google Maps reportedly shows police at the scene of the slaying. The crime remains unsolved. Due to technical hurdles, it will take about eight days to replace the aerial image with a new satellite image, according to Google. "We've spoken to the family to let them know we're working hard on the update," McClendon said. Google's free online mapping service features pictures from satellites, as well as images taken on the ground by its "Street View" team.