World News | Boy, 14, Held on Murder Charge in 13-year-old Girl''s Death
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Classmates, friends and family members gathered for a candlelight vigil Monday night in honor of a 13-year-old cheerleader whose body was found in the northeast Florida woods.
St Johns (US), May 11 (AP) Classmates, friends and family members gathered for a candlelight vigil Monday night in honor of a 13-year-old cheerleader whose body was found in the northeast Florida woods.
Sheriff's officials said in a news release on Tuesday that a 14-year-old boy fatally stabbed Tristyn Bailey, and left her body in a wooded area in the community where they both lived.
The suspect made his first appearance in court earlier Tuesday, via a Zoom call which his parents were also on. A judge ordered him held on a second-degree murder charge for 21 days.
State attorney's officials told the judge they would likely have a decision by then on whether he will be tried as an adult.
Tristyn was last seen early Sunday morning at the community center in the Durbin Crossing community south of Jacksonville. The two teens attended nearby Patriot Oaks Academy, where Tristyn was a cheerleader.
Tanya White, one of her cheer coaches, remembered the teen's “beautiful smile and presence."
“She always was the first to hug me,” White said at Monday night's vigil. “She was officially my favourite.”
Flowers and notes to Tristyn and her family were left outside the community center where she was last seen.
Her parents reported her missing around 10 a.m. on Sunday and a neighbor found Tristyn's body in a heavily wooded area that evening, St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick said during a news conference on Monday afternoon. Hours later, investigators made an arrest.
“The community helped us solve this case,” Hardwick said, offering few other details about what led them to arrest the teen.
Dive teams searched a lake on Monday, near where her body was found, Jacksonville's FirstCoast News reported. A crime scene truck also was seen at the home of the teen charged with killing her.
The Associated Press does not generally publish the name of juveniles charged with crimes unless they are charged as adults. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)