Man arrested in killing of 16-year-old cheerleader found dead by mom, Texas cops say
UPDATE: Authorities have made an arrest in the killing of 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina, who was found dead by her mother at their Texas apartment, officials said.
Rafael Govea Romero was arrested by police and Texas Rangers in Schulenburg Saturday, Dec. 9, on a charge of murder, the Edna Police Department said in a Dec. 10 news release. The arrest came four days after Medina was killed.
Romero has been transported to the Jackson County Jail, police said.
Original story continues below:
A mother found her 16-year-old daughter dead in their Texas apartment after she didn’t show up at a Christmas parade she was supposed to be cheering in, reports say.
Authorities in Edna believe the girl, identified in multiple reports as Lizbeth Medina, was killed. She was pronounced dead at the apartment at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, according to the Edna Police Department.
“The most horrible way a mother could find her child,” Jacquelin Medina told KHOU. “She was murdered in cold blood.”
Police have not released information about a suspect in the girl’s death. No arrests have been announced as of Thursday morning, but authorities referred to the case as “capital murder.”
Family members said Lizbeth was supposed to be marching in the Tuesday parade with her cheerleading teammates, according to the Victoria Advocate. But her mother never found her with the group.
She was discovered at her home in her pajamas, a possible sign she was killed before school, family told the Victoria Advocate.
Lizbeth was a junior at Edna High School and planned to attend the University of Texas at Arlington to study nursing, loved ones said in a Facebook post. Her mother said on Facebook she “had amazing plans” for her future.
“Someone dared to go in and just rip my daughter away from me, it just kills me,” Jacquelin Medina told KHOU. “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.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Rangers are assisting police in the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 361-782-6522.
“You were always the best, baby girl,” her mother said in a Facebook post. “You leave my heart broken, and I swear to you my girl that I won’t rest until I find who did this.”
Edna is about 100 miles southwest of Houston.
This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 6:09 AM with the headline "Man arrested in killing of 16-year-old cheerleader found dead by mom, Texas cops say."