EDNA, Texas (TCD) — Police arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion of murder after a 16-year-old cheerleader was found dead in an apartment bathtub last week.
On Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 6:57 p.m., Edna Police Department officers were called to the Cottonwood Apartments regarding an unresponsive juvenile female. When they arrived, they “believed the juvenile to be deceased.” EMS responded and she was officially pronounced dead by the 1st District Justice of the Peace.
Edna Police Department investigators contacted the Texas Rangers for assistance in the investigation in what they believe is a capital murder.
Edna Police identified the victim as Lizabeth Medina. On Dec. 9, police announced they arrested Rafael Romero on a charge of capital murder. Detectives reportedly tracked him to a residence in Schulenburg and the homeowners confirmed he was inside. Officials took him into custody and seized his vehicle and other evidence that allegedly connected him to Medina’s killing.
KPRC-TV reports on Tuesday, Medina’s mother went to a local Christmas parade to watch her daughter perform, but she wasn’t there. She went home to her apartment and found Medina deceased inside the bathtub.
Medina’s mother, Jacqueline Medina, told KPRC, “I wanted to protect her from the world. And I’m just enraged that I couldn’t protect her in her own home.”
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