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BACKGROUND:
Investigators say an arrest is "imminent" in the mysterious murders of three Florida teenagers but they are continuing to ask the public for help.
Deputies in Marion County say all three victims, who were shot to death, were found in three different locations over the span of three days.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the first victim was found on Thursday, March 30 in the area of Forest Lakes Park. Deputies say 16-year-old Layla Silvernail was found on the side of the road after being shot. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition where she later died
The following morning, a 17-year-old was also found on the side of a road, dead from an apparent gunshot wound.
The third victim was found Saturday, April 1, after deputies were called to Malauka Loop. That’s where they found Silvernail’s car partially submerged at the edge of a nearby body of water. Upon searching the car, a 16-year-old was found dead inside.
Right now, investigators say they believe the victims were friends, who were together just before they were shot. The identities of the second and third victims have not been released.
Authorities say the killings could be part of gang activity.
“The other thing I'll hit on real quickly is that the detectives also have information that it's possibly tied to what we classify as hybrid gangs,” Sheriff Billy Woods said.
According to the Department of Justice, a hybrid gang is a group of people who are closely associated but are not actually gang affiliated. It’s not yet clear what happened to the victims or how they may have been connected to the perpetrator(s).
The sheriff's office says investigators have several leads and says they hopefully will be making an arrest soon.
Woods describes the community as “rural” and “tight-knit.”
“Detectives are working around the clock continuing their homicide investigation and diligently following up on every potential lead,” Woods said. “We are devastated for the families of these three teens, and we are dedicated to bringing whoever is responsible for these heinous acts to justice.”
The Sheriff’s Office has asked that anyone with information call Detective Ryan Stith at (352) 368-3542 or contact Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-7867 and reference 23-22 in the tip.
America doesn’t have a race problem...America has a problem race..........................
Have Americans been told yet ….. this is not a racist hate crime ? Yep …. Move Along ….. it’s gang related
Now in the olden days if something like this happened, a section of the city would be burned down and (comment removed as FR censors did when I first posted it years ago) but then it would be safe to be on the streets for years.
Sheriff Billy Woods is my new hero.
Hybrid gang? More like terrorists. How come when it’s minorities involved it’s referred to as “gangs” and never terrorist?
This Sheriff gave an outstanding example of how crime should be addressed.