(Trends Wide) — Two minors have been arrested and a third is wanted in connection with the recent shooting deaths of three area teens in the Central Florida community, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said Friday.
Investigators believe the victims were involved in robberies and muggings, and both the victims and the suspects were allegedly affiliated with criminal gangs, Woods said.
“Basically, in simple terms, there is no honor among thieves,” Woods told a news conference. “And at some point, these three individuals turned on our three victims and killed them.”
Woods said the suspects left behind a trail of evidence.
“Not only are the victims minors, but the murderers are minors as well,” Woods said.
On March 30, 16-year-old Layla Silvernail was found on the side of a road in the Forest Lakes Park area. She later died at a hospital from her severe injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.
The next morning, shortly before 8 a.m., officers responded to a second report of a person on the side of a road and found a 17-year-old male who had been fatally shot, according to authorities.
One of the victims of a triple homicide in Marion County, Florida, was identified as 16-year-old Layla Silvernail, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Credit: GoFundMe
The body of the third victim was discovered Saturday, Woods said.
The second and third victims have not been named.
Investigators believe the trio had been in a 2015 Chevy Cruze that belonged to Silvernail. The car was found partially submerged in a lake, with one of the victims inside, Woods told Trends Wide.
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Fifteen detectives are working on the case. So far, the information gathered shows that the trio was together until what Woods called “the incident.” He declined to say if the three friends were shot at the same time.
News in development.
