A 17-year-old boy from Cranston, R.I., appeared before a family court judge Thursday after admitting to killing his mother’s boyfriend in a bizarre case involving a fatal shooting and a burned body, according to Colonel Michael J. Winquist, chief of the Cranston Police Department.

After the victim was shot, which authorities believed occurred around midnight Wednesday, the suspect told police he and his mother transported the victim’s body across the state line to Attleboro, Mass., where he proceeded to set the body on fire, Winquist said.

The suspect was arrested Wednesday afternoon and is charged with murder, use of a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and compounding or concealing a felony.

At the boy’s presentation, Judge Michael Forte set a date for a status conference with the suspect for July 27.

Winquist said the suspect’s name is not being released because he is a juvenile. However, Amy Kempe, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island attorney general’s office, said the state intends to file a waiver seeking that the juvenile be tried as an adult.

On Wednesday around 3 a.m., the victim — Valdez ­Loiseau, 24 — was found along the wood line adjacent to Prescott Street in Attleboro by a patrol officer from the Attleboro Police Department.

“When he approached, he saw [the body] was smoldering — it had been set on fire,’’ Winquist said. From initial observations, the officer also noticed the victim’s gunshot wound.

Winquist said the Attleboro police fingerprinted the victim and identified him as a Cranston resident, living on Edgewood Avenue.

Winquist said the Cranston Police Department, along with the Attleboro police, Massachusetts State Police, and Rhode Island State Police, went to the victim’s residence, where they encountered several people, including Melonie Perez, 35, the victim’s girlfriend. Perez lives at the Edgewood residence, along with the suspect, her 17-year-old son.

Winquist said before going into the Cranston police headquarters for questioning, Perez said she first needed to go back into the house.

After waiting a bit, Winquist said a detective found her in her bedroom, where there was a handgun on a dresser bureau. The detective also noticed she was putting on shoes with blood on them, Winquist said. Following these observations, investigators secured the residence and applied for a warrant.

At the police department, the suspect admitted to shooting and killing the victim in the residence with a handgun, ­Winquist said.

“He claims that it stemmed from a physical altercation that his mother was having with the victim,’’ Winquist said. There have not been previous calls for domestic violence, or any type of domestic disturbance, Winquist said.

The suspect’s mother is charged with compounding or concealing a felony, failing to report the crime to law enforcement officials, and vandalism. Along with Perez, the suspect’s girlfriend, Samantha Rastella, 18, was charged with compounding or concealing a felony and failing to report the crime to law enforcement officials. Both women were arrested and released on $10,000 bail, and are scheduled for prearraignment conferences on Oct. 19, Winquist said.

Winquist said as officers approached the residence Wednesday, a Rhode Island State Police officer stopped a car that was leaving the house, and a 17-year-old inside was charged with possession of ammunition by a minor. Winquist said the juvenile in the vehicle is not being linked to the homicide investigation at this time.

Winquist said the city of Cranston usually has one to two homicides a year.

“We have a very safe community — we tend to get very few homicides in our city,’’ he said.

While Cranston police are now the lead investigators, Winquist said he is thankful for the collaboration among departments involved in the case.

“It was good teamwork all the way around to find a person at 3 a.m. in another state, deceased and murdered, and to have the person we believe is responsible in our custody that day,’’ he said.

Kiana Cole can be reached at kiana.cole@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kianamcole.