A teen from New York who witnessed her father’s murder and was missing since May has been discovered dead.
According to a statement on the Buffalo Police Department’s Facebook page, police investigators discovered the body of 18-year-old Jalia Marrero in a forested area in Buffalo, N.Y., on June 6.
The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Jalia’s identity — a high school student just weeks away from graduation — but no cause of death has been published.
Jalia was reported missing on May 21 but was last seen by relatives around May 9 or 10, according to authorities. Nobody knows who reported her missing.
The victim’s family told The Buffalo News on Monday that police told them Jalia had been dead for some time before her body was discovered in an unmarked grave in the woods.
According to police, just before Jalia’s disappearance, she allegedly watched her father, 39-year-old Luis Marrero, being gunned down in an apartment on May 4.
Jalia, according to the relatives, spoke to police about her father’s death and gave them a statement.
The family said they lost contact with Jalia days after Luis was murdered.
Family members believe they know who murdered Luis and Jalia, but no arrests have been made, according to the outlet.
The motive for the killings has not been revealed by police.
The investigations are still ongoing.
