Danika Troy, 14, was allegedly lured to a wooded area and killed by two boys in a slaying the sheriff called ‘horrific’
A Florida teenager reported as a runaway was found shot and burned in a wooded area this week — and now two teenage boys are facing murder charges in connection with her brutal death.
The two boys, ages 16 and 14, were arrested on Thursday, Dec. 4, and charged with first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the death of Danika Jade Troy, 14, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said in a press conference on Thursday.
PEOPLE is not naming the suspects because they are minors — though authorities hope to charge them as adults.
On Monday, Dec. 1, Troy’s mother reported her missing from Pace, a community about 20 miles east of the Alabama border, Johnson said.
“But unbeknownst to the mother, unfortunately, Danika was murdered the previous night,” he said.
The girl, who had her electric scooter with her, was allegedly lured into a wooded area by the two boys, police said, KOMO News reports.
“This is where it gets really horrific,” Johnson told reporters.
“The 16-year-old…stole his mother’s handgun and shot Danika Troy,” Johnson alleged.
“It’s bad enough you kill a 14-year-old,” said Johnson. You’re 14. You’re 16. They shot her multiple times then they set her on fire,” he said.
Detectives are still trying to determine why the two teens targeted the girl, but said they were “supposedly” friends from school.
The girl’s burned and bullet-riddled body was found on Tuesday, Dec. 2, by a passerby, who then called 911.
Johnson said it didn’t take long for detectives to hone in on the two teenage boys.
“Major crimes calls that a ground ball,” Johnson said. “The evidence pointed to them immediately,” he alleged.
A GoFundMe to help the Troy family cover funeral costs has raised more than $5,500 as of Friday morning. “This is a hard time for the family and anything will help,” the organizer wrote.
Both suspects are being held in the Department of Juvenile Justice. It is unclear whether they have retained attorneys who can speak on their behalf.