Suspect arrested after 16-year-old cheerleader found dead in bathtub in Texas
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A suspect has been arrested after a 16-year-old cheerleader was found dead in her bathtub by her mother in Texas.
Rafael Romero was located by the Edna Police Department on Saturday.
The force said the “undocumented male subject” was detained in Schulenberg, about 50 miles (80km) from Edna, where the body of Lizbeth Medina was discovered last week.
The Texas Rangers arrested Romero for capital murder and took him to the Jackson County Jail.
If convicted he would be eligible for the death penalty.
He is 23 years old and from Schulenberg, according to NBC affiliate KPRC2, which reported it is not clear if Romero knows the victim.
Rafael Romero was arrested for capital murder. Pic: Edna Police Department
Lizbeth was a cheerleader at Edna High School and aspired to become a nurse, according to her aunt Ana Medina.
“Lizbeth was outgoing and confident – someone willing to take off her shirt to give it to someone else,” she told NBC News.
“She was always there for everybody – charming, young, and full of energy. That was all just cut short.”
KPRC2 reported that when Lizbeth failed to turn up to a Christmas parade, her mother Jacqueline Medina, arrived home on Tuesday evening to find her daughter’s body in the bath.
Officers arrived at the scene and found her dead, police said.
Edna Police Chief Rick Boone wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday that his officers were “dedicated to seeking justice” for the teenager.
“As you know, we are a small department and this can call for a great demand to be put on my officers,” Mr Boone wrote.
“They not only stepped up during their own shifts, but worked many hours willingly on their days off and past their own shift times.”
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Lizbeth was born in Nebraska and had been living in Texas for about a year, according to a GoFundMe page set up by her family to raise money for funeral and memorial expenses.
“She was loved by many but most importantly she is loved and will be missed by the family,” her aunt Ana Medina wrote on the fundraiser page.
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