Three murdered teens are connected, say Marion County, Fla. officials

Law enforcement officials in Marion County, Florida, have revealed that the murders of three local teenagers in separate incidents are all connected, and that police are working to find who is responsible for the homicides.

“[We need to] put the pieces of the puzzle together so that we can put the people who committed the crime behind bars,” said Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods in a press conference on Tuesday. “We’re looking for help for the families who have lost a loved one,” Woods said. “There are folks out there that know. You’ve got information.”

The first teen, a 16 year old girl, was found lying on the side of the road suffering from gunshot wounds and taken to a local hospital on March 30. The following day, another teen, a 16 year old male, was found deceased on the side of the road, also having suffered a gunshot wound. On April 1, the third victim, another 16-year old girl, was found dead in a partially-submerged vehicle having been shot.

Woods says over a dozen county detectives are working the case, trying to find any leads that will reveal who killed the teens, who Woods says knew each other and spent time together directly leading up to the murders. He confirmed the investigators are “not ruling out anything” and are investigating multiple suspects.

Anyone with information about the murders is asked to contact Detective Ryan Stith at 352-368-3542. If you wish to remain anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 352-368-STOP (7867) and reference 23-22.