A male classmate stabbed a teenage girl to death at their high school in Connecticut on Friday; police suspect she turned down his invitation to take her to prom.

The Associated Press reported that 16-year-old Maren Sanchez was stabbed around 7:15 a.m. in the hallway of Jonathan Law High School in Milford, Conn. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital after initial attempts by paramedics and high school staff to keep her alive failed.

Police Chief Keith Mello told the AP they had a 16-year-old boy in custody but couldn't release his name because he is a minor. Mello said officers are investigating the claims that the incident was a result of a prom rejection and will review any surveillance camera footage.

"This is something that everybody wants to get to the bottom of and find out why it happened, how it happened and what we can do to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.

A teacher told students who were gathered in the auditorium during the incident that Sanchez had been stabbed, said Imani Langston, Sanchez's self-described best friend.

"She basically just explained to us that Maren Sanchez got stabbed in the throat for saying no about going to prom," Langston said.

Langston added that Sanchez, a junior, and the suspect were friends but had never dated before. She said Sanchez also volunteered to organize the junior prom, which was scheduled for Saturday but postponed in the wake of the tragedy.

Only the day before, Sanchez and Langston had spoken about their excitement for prom as they discussed their dresses and the photos they would take, Langston reminisced. In class on Thursday, Sanchez "told me about her prom dress, she told how she got asked to prom," she said.

"We were just laughing, talking about what we were going to do when we got there, how many pictures we were going to take," Langston continued.

Students were dismissed from the remainder of their classes on Friday while officials offered counseling to students.

Superintendent Elizabeth Feser said Sanchez was a National Honor Society student who was engaged in school activities.

"We are obviously devasted by the loss of one of our students, Maren Sanchez," Feser said at a news conference. "She was a 16-year-old junior -- vibrant, very, very involved in Jonathan Law High School, an incredible contributor, someone who was loved and respected."

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