A 14-year-old boy and a man aged 19 have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a boy “of secondary school age” was found.
The body was found in Fishtoft, near Boston, on Saturday, Lincolnshire Police said.
The two teenage suspects remain in custody as police carry out “meticulous” inquiries, the force added.
It added in a statement: “Final identification is yet to take place but we now believe the victim to be a boy of secondary school age.
“Two males, aged 14 and 19, have been arrested on suspicion of murder. They remain in police custody.”
Detective Superintendent Martyn Parker said: “This is a devastating incident in which a young boy has lost his life. The impact will no doubt be felt greatly in the community and beyond.
“We are working with those affected to keep them informed and offer our support.
“I want to reassure the public that we will do all in our power to meticulously investigate the circumstances of this young boy’s death and we would urge anyone who has any information that could support this investigation to get in touch.”
The force appealed for anyone with CCTV covering the junction of Freiston Road and Woodthorpe Avenue and the entire length of Wing Drive and Alcorn Green between 8pm on Friday and 10.22am on Saturday to come forward.
Anyone with information can call police on 101 quoting the reference 116 of December 12; email force.control@lincs.pnn.police.uk quoting the same reference, or call anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.