News

12-Year-Old Killed After Texting Mom That Someone Was Knocking on the Door

NewsPublished Aug 18, 2017
By Kelly Bryant
girl opening front dooriStock.com/Oppdowngalon

It's every parent's worst nightmare -- a 12-year-old Nashville girl at home alone was found murdered last week. Not long before relatives found her body, the tween had texted her mother to say someone was knocking at their front door. 

Little information has been released about the crime, but People reports that police say Yhoana Arteaga was "brutally killed" on August 10. Authorities are currently reaching out to the community for any leads on who may have committed the horrific act.

Yhoana texted her mother at 5:40 p.m. to alert her of a knock at the door. Family members arrived to the home at 6:45 p.m., which is when the young girl's body was found. She was home alone, recovering from a skating accident, and using crutches at the time. 

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"Thus far, helpful information from citizens, through Crime Stoppers or otherwise, has been very limited," reads a statement by police. "Detectives are optimistic that a meaningful lead or leads will result from scientific testing being conducted by the MNPD Crime Laboratory. This case is a priority for police department scientists as well as fingerprint experts who are studying a number of fingerprints discovered during the processing of the residence."  

Because there was no obvious forced entry into the home, investigators feel it's possible that the murderer is someone familiar to Yhoana. Cause of death has not yet been revealed, but Nashville police Sgt. David Kautzman's remarks at a news conference about the crime allude to grim details. 

"This is a horrible, brutal thing," he said. "I've never seen anything this brutal in my entire career."

Anyone with a tip or lead on the case is asked to call either Nashville's Emergency Communications Center at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. Investigators are currently interviewing Yhoana's friends and classmates for help in tracking down a suspect. 

For the sake of the girl's grieving family, we sincerely hope police can find some closure and justice for Yhoana swiftly.

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