Arrests made in the murder of three Florida teenagers found shot dead outside tiny town
Arrests will be announced this morning in a Florida triple homicide case following a high-profile investigation.
An urgent homicide investigation was launched following the shootings of Layla Silvernail, 16, Camille Quarles, 16, and an unidentified 17-year-old victim in the small town of Ocklawaha.
Detectives were able to determine that the three teenage victims were together prior to their murders, before being dumped at different locations over a three-day period.
Investigators found evidence that the group were together in a vehicle owned by Silvernail, the first victim found in the case. The 16-year-old was still alive when she was discovered last Thursday evening shot in the head and left in a dumpster near Forest Lakes Park. She later died in hospital.
The gruesome discovery was followed hours later when an unnamed 17-year-old victim was found on the side of a road less than a mile away. A third victim, 16-year-old Camille Quarles, was found Saturday in Silvernail’s car, which was partially submerged in a pond.
Officials have not said whether the trio were shot at the same time, but rather announced they are investigating “multiple suspects” who may be linked to gang activity.
Layla Silvernail, 16, was shot in the head and left in a dumpster but was still alive. She later died in hospital, before police found two more teenage victims: a 17-year-old boy and another 16-year-old girl.
Camille Quarles, 16, was found on Saturday in Silvernail’s car, which was partially submerged in a pond
The proximity of the murders led to fears that a serial killer was on the loose in Ocklawaha, Florida, but police were quick to rule that theory out.
An urgent investigation was launched following the gruesome discoveries, with law enforcement officials describing the killings as an “isolated incident.”
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods has not yet released details of the impending arrests.
He has announced a press conference for Friday at 9:30 am where he will provide “latest news updates and arrests in the recent triple homicide in Ocklawaha.”
The sheriff told Fox News Digital on Thursday that he was investigating multiple suspects in the case, adding that he believes the perpetrators knew the victims.
“There are several suspects. More than two,” he said, insisting the suspects may be gang related.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods confirmed at a press conference Tuesday that there are “multiple suspects” in the case
After Silvernail and Quarles were identified as the victims, the third victim’s identity has not been released as their family enacted their right to the Marsy Act, which allows crime victims or their families to request that their names be concealed from public records .
As rumors swirled as the murders made headlines in the small Florida town, Woods called for calm during the investigation, insisting that the idea of a serial killer on the loose is “far from the truth.”
“I know this is a very tight-knit community and many of you are very concerned,” he said.
“Someone out there knows something. We want you to have truthful information and not hearsay.’
Silvernail was found, still alive, in this dumpster in Marion, County Florida
This is the location where a schoolgirl found one of the 17-year-old victims on her way to school
One of the unidentified victims was later found to have been wearing all black clothing with a black mask covering his face when he was found dead.
The 17-year-old boy was sprawled on the side of a dirt road where a student says she stumbled across the horror on her way to a school bus early Friday morning.
“I was walking with my brother and I found the man… he wasn’t breathing,” the student, who would only give her name as Khatia, told DailyMail.com.
He was lying on his side wearing a black hoodie, black shirt, black pants and black shoes. He had the hoodie over his head and he had a black mask over his face. I couldn’t see his face. You could only see his eyes.’
Layla Silvernail’s friends and family have paid a heartbreaking tribute to the teen, who they say was “taken from us too soon and will be greatly missed”
Silvernail was described as a talented softball player by her friends and relatives
Tributes have poured in for Silvernail after she was named as the first victim in the case.
The 16-year-old was described by her friends and family as a talented softball star. Her family decided to donate her organs “so she can help others in the wake of this tragedy,” the teen’s softball league wrote on its fundraising page.
“She is the definition of a team player and a great athlete,” they said.
“She loved softball, was a great pitcher, and could play any position her team needed. She lifted all her teammates!
“She was taken from us far too soon and will be sorely missed.”