Police in Texas arrested a 16-year-old juvenile for allegedly using a hammer to kill a 14-year-old girl who wanted to buy marijuana from him and then leaving her body in a landfill site, it was learned on Friday.
Authorities in Bedford released court papers indicating that the juvenile was being held on $250,000 bond after he was arrested at O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth.
Kaytlynn Cargill, 14, disappeared while walking her dog and was found two days later dead in a landfill died of ‘homicidal violence’, a medical examiner has determined.
Cargill went missing on June 19 near her parents’ apartment in Bedford, Texas and was killed in what the Tarrant County Medical examiner ruled was a homicide.
Kaytlynn Cargill, 14, went missing on June 19 near her parents’ apartment in Bedford, Texas and was killed in what the Tarrant County Medical examiner ruled on Thursday was a homicide. Police announced Friday they arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with her murder
The arrest warrant states that Cargill and her alleged killer were involved in a drug transaction, NBC 5 television is reporting.
Investigators uncovered text messages indicating that Cargill sought to obtain marijuana from the juvenile at the time of her disappearance.
Cargill went to the juvenile’s apartment, where he is alleged to have used a hammer to kill her.
Forensic investigators found blood spots inside the apartment as well as the hammer itself.
Kaytlynn’s body was found in a Texas landfill two days after she was reported missing. Investigators believe she was killed by a 16-year-old boy from whom she wanted to buy marijuana
Subsequent DNA tests showed Cargill’s blood was on the hammer, the documents state.
‘Members of the Bedford Police Department have met with and informed Kaytlynn’s family of the juvenile’s detention,’ the department said in a statement.
‘The juvenile was detained earlier today and has been taken to the Tarrant County Juvenile Detention Facility in Fort Worth.
‘We want to take this opportunity to reassure our community that they are not at risk.’
Police have defended their decision not to issue an Amber Alert at the time of Kaytlynn’s disappearance, and said there was no evidence to indicate the girl was abducted or that there was any further risk to the community.
Kaytlynn last seen near her home around 6.20pm on June 19 leaving to take her dog for a walk, according to the Bedford Police Department.
A neighbor told WFAA he saw the teen tie her dog’s leash to a fence and ask friends to watch the animal, but she never returned.
‘I didn’t hear any yells and it happened right behind my balcony,’ said neighbor Zach McDaniel. ‘I heard no yells, no helps, no nothing.’
Police say friends of the girl gave ‘different stories’ when she first went missing.
A worker at the Arlington landfill (pictured) discovered a body. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner later confirmed the body found in the landfill was Kaytlynn
Neighbors said the teen was last seen near the Oak Creek Apartments (pictured)
When Kaytlynn was reported missing, authorities said they had no reason to believe that she was in any danger, nor did they have any reason to suspect foul play.
The girl’s body was found two days later, by a worker at the Arlington landfill about four miles away.
That landfill contracts to receive waste from Bedford and several other smaller municipalities near Arlington.
An obituary for Kaytlynn said that the teen loved animals and played softball and volleyball at school
‘Kaytlynn was an optimist, with a heart bigger than anyone will ever know. Her energy and spirit shone through and was infectious to everyone around her,’ the obituary said.