Police seek suspect in chilling murder of 12-year-old girl on crutches, helpless to run: ‘I’ve never seen anything this brutal’

A 12-year-old Tennessee girl was found murdered in her home shortly after texting her mother to say that someone was knocking on the door.

Fox 17 reports that Yhoana Arteaga, 12, was found dead in her Goodletsville mobile home Thursday evening. Police believe she was murdered by someone she knew, likely the person who she texted her mother to say was knocking on the door.

Her family returned to the home after receiving the text, and found the little girl dead. Yhoana had recently suffered an injury in a skating accident, and was on crutches. There was no sign of forced entry. The combination of factors has led investigators to believe the girl knew her killer, but there are no suspects or a person of interest at this time.

Police have so far revealed limited details about the killing itself, but have confirmed that Yhoana died of blunt force trauma. Police also said that the little girl’s clothes were in disarray.

“This is a horrible, brutal thing,” Metro Nashville Police Sgt. David Kautzman said in a press conference Tuesday. “I’ve never seen anything this brutal in my entire career.”

Police are asking for anyone with information about a possible suspect to please call Emergency Communications Center at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. In the press conference, the police noted that Spanish-speaking dispatchers would be available at all times to field any tips.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help Yhoana’s family. The campaign page describes the 12-year-old girl as “Kind, polite, caring, fun, intelligent and beautiful.”

 

Feature photo: GoFundMe