TX - Lizbeth Medina, 16, high school cheerleader, found dead in bedroom, murder suspect arrested - Edna, 5 Dec 2023

[ifindedout]

Texas town rattled after high school cheerleader found dead in her apartment

Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old cheerleader in a small Texas town, was found dead in her apartment. Circumstances surrounding her death are under investigation.

www.khou.com

EDNA, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers are investigating a possible capital murder case involving a 16-year-old Texas cheerleader.

Lizbeth Medina's body was found Tuesday in her apartment in the small town of Edna, which is between Houston and Victoria.

Her mother was left heartbroken and is demanding justice.

Family of Edna teen Lizbeth Medina mourns; police begin capital murder investigation

When Jacqueline Medina returned to her home at Cottonwood Apartments in Edna on Wednesday to see if her daughter was home, she found something no mother should ever have to

www.victoriaadvocate.com

Jacqueline Medina left work on Tuesday and headed to the lighted Christmas parade in Edna. Upon arriving, she expected to see her daughter, Lizbeth, 16, an Edna High School cheerleader, marching the streets of Edna alongside her fellow teammates in her cheer uniform.

But when the mother saw the cheer team coming down the street, her daughter was missing from the group.

When Medina returned to their unit in Cottonwood Apartments in Edna to see whether her daughter was home, she found something no mother should ever have to see.

Medina entered and found her 16-year-old child dead.

[...]

Police arrived at the apartment unit around 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to a Wednesday news release sent by Edna Police Chief Rick Boone. According to the release, EMS attempted to revive the teen without success. Boone said Edna police contacted the Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Ranger Division to “assist in what investigators believe to be a capital murder.”

 

[TexLil]

Cheerleader, 16, mysteriously found dead in Texas apartment

Lizbeth Medina, 16, was found dead by her mother in her apartment in Edna, Texas. Her mother, Jacquelin said that her daughter never showed up to a Christmas parade she was supposed to be at.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[LovesPeace2]

Awe so sad

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Sincere condolences to her family.
Hopefully there will be answers and justice soon.

 

[ifindedout]

Maintenance person with a key?

 

[Trino]

Edna, TX has a population of around 6,000. Was the girl at school on Dec 5, or did she possibly let someone into the apartment before school? A worker could easily have fooled a young girl, especially early in the morning.

 

[Third Coast Gal]

I live an hour+ from Edna and drive through the area often. It is a very small Texas town with a vibrant community that revolves around high school sports. The athletes, and presumably the cheerleaders, are visible and high profile. It’s unlikely that the person who did this wasn’t known to Lizbeth.

May justice come soon for this lovely girl.

 

[vls12345]

Cheerleader 'murdered in cold blood' at apartment before she could attend Christmas parade

A mother is devastated and mourning after finding her only child, a 16-year-old cheerleader, "murdered in cold blood" at home.

lawandcrime.com

From article:


"Local authorities said Texas Rangers have been asked to help investigate the suspected capital murder.

In Texas, capital murder can be charged in several circumstances, but oftentimes the charge is brought when the perpetrator “intentionally commits the murder in the course of committing or attempting to commit” another serious crime, such as “kidnapping, burglary, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, arson, obstruction or retaliation, or terroristic threat[.]”

Police have not yet specified why the believe Medina’s death was a capital offense, but they are asking anyone who knows which “people and/or person” may be responsible for the slaying to call Edna Police Department at 361-782-6522."

 

[vls12345]

'It's the most beautiful feeling' | Mother of Texas high school cheerleader found dead overwhelmed by support

Enda Cowboy blue was overshadowed by purple in honor of the standout cheerleader and star taken too soon.

www.khou.com

"Lizbeth’s mother Jacqueline was overcome with emotion after coming home to find her daughter dead in a bathtub inside the family’s Edna apartment Tuesday. Police believe she was the victim of a capital murder.

"I just want them to remember Lizbeth as the loving and kind little girl she was and not of how she was taken," said her mom."

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Did the murderer attempt to destroy evidence (their DNA?) by putting her into water in the bathtub?? Let's hope their DNA, fingerprints, etc are all over the place. Let's also hope they were caught on security cameras somewhere in the area.

I am so very sorry for the victim's mother finding her like that.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“Once I found her, I realized she was gone,” the distraught mother told KAVU-TV’s “Crossroads Today.” “Words can’t explain what I felt at that moment finding my daughter in the matter that she was. All I can say is that I hope with all my heart that there is justice for my daughter.”

Texas high school cheerleader found dead in her apartment as family believes she was murdered

The gruesome discovery left the mother to believe she was murdered by someone.

nypost.com

 

[Yemelyan]

“Once I found her, I realized she was gone,” the distraught mother told KAVU-TV’s “Crossroads Today.” “Words can’t explain what I felt at that moment finding my daughter in the matter that she was. All I can say is that I hope with all my heart that there is justice for my daughter.”

Texas high school cheerleader found dead in her apartment as family believes she was murdered

The gruesome discovery left the mother to believe she was murdered by someone.

nypost.com

Interesting, according to this article the mom thinks it could be related to a recent break-in at their home: "Medina believes her daughter’s death was linked to a recent break-in that occurred at their Cottonwood Apartments unit a couple of weeks ago. 'She was just in her own home, and they broke in, and unfortunately she was home at the time.'"

The Post article cites an interview the mom did with KAVU-TV's program Crossroads Today.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[physco219]

A few docs in the case...

 

[dotr]

Texas high school cheerleader found dead in her apartment as family believes she was murdered

The gruesome discovery left the mother to believe she was murdered by someone.

nypost.com

Edna High School honored the teen by displaying purple ribbons throughout its playoff football game on Thursday.ABC 13

 

[ifindedout]

Interesting, according to this article the mom thinks it could be related to a recent break-in at their home: "Medina believes her daughter’s death was linked to a recent break-in that occurred at their Cottonwood Apartments unit a couple of weeks ago. 'She was just in her own home, and they broke in, and unfortunately she was home at the time.'"

The Post article cites an interview the mom did with KAVU-TV's program Crossroads Today.

I wonder why the perp would return to a crime scene (assuming it was the same party).

• Was anything taken the first time?
• How was entry obtained each time?
• Was he/they looking for something he couldn't find the first time?
• Was he/they looking to harm someone from the beginning, but no one was home the first time?
• Or was robbery/burglary the intent, and she was killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“The most horrible way a mother could find her child,” Medina said. “She was murdered in cold blood. It should have been a great day because she was involved in the Christmas parade. She was going to be with the cheer squad

“I lost it. She was my world, my everything. Everywhere, everything I do was for her,” Medina said.

“Someone dared to go in and just rip my daughter away from me. It just kills me,” Medina said.

“I just want answers to why they would do this to an amazing little girl who would never hurt anyone, wouldn’t dare to hurt anyone,” she said

‘The most horrible way a mother could find her child’: Woman talks about finding 16-year-old daughter slain

Her mother said she came home to their apartment, only to find her daughter dead.

www.wwnytv.com

 

[dotr]

'Dec 7, 2023
16-year-old Lizbeth Medina's mother said her daughter was excited about the playoff game'.

 

[Yemelyan]

I wonder why the perp would return to a crime scene (assuming it was the same party).

• Was anything taken the first time?
• How was entry obtained each time?
• Was he/they looking for something he couldn't find the first time?
• Was he/they looking to harm someone from the beginning, but no one was home the first time?
• Or was robbery/burglary the intent, and she was killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Definitely we need more details to know if this could possibly fit. Assuming that if she mentioned it in the news interview, it would have been one of the things that she mentioned to police to follow up on. I think one thing not in your list that is sort of "read between the lines" is that she may have been targeted for a sexual attack after perpetrators realized who lived in the home. There can be an association between the so-called hot prowl and sexual assault.

 

[Trino]

Definitely we need more details to know if this could possibly fit. Assuming that if she mentioned it in the news interview, it would have been one of the things that she mentioned to police to follow up on. I think one thing not in your list that is sort of "read between the lines" is that she may have been targeted for a sexual attack after perpetrators realized who lived in the home. There can be an association between the so-called hot prowl and sexual assault.

Although there have been no talk of rape, I think it's the first thing on poster's minds. Early in the morning, I can understand why she would open the door. Maybe she even thought her mother was returning for some reason.