One teenage killer is still on the loose in or around Marion County, Florida but police have two more teens in custody. They’re charged with the murders of three other teens and one of the detained suspects is only 12 years old.
Killer still at large
Every police agency in Florida is on the lookout for the third suspected killer in a high profile investigation. Their three young victims have been identified as two 16-year-old females, Layla Silvernail and Camille Quarles. The third victim is a 17-year-old male who’s name hasn’t been released.
Fox News reports that all three had been “shot and left for dead in the rural county north of Orlando sometime between March 30 and April 1.”
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement announcing the arrest of “two juveniles, one of whom is just 12 years old, in connection with the triple homicide.” All they say about the third killer is that the juvenile suspect remains “at large.” Sheriff Billy Woods is upset at the chatter he’s been hearing.
"Florida police arrest 2 juvenile suspects in murders of 3 teens, hunt for third suspect"
"The Marion County Sheriff's Office arrested two juveniles, one of whom is just 12 years old and the other 17, in connection with the triple homicide. A 16-year-old suspect is at large." pic.twitter.com/Z7VfioxXIW
— Dan Lyman (@realdanlyman) April 7, 2023
“There are individuals out there viewing who want to blame the one thing that has no ability or the capacity to commit the crime itself, and that’s the gun.” The gun didn’t kill those three kids, criminals did. Ones who apparently didn’t have proper parental supervision.
All three suspects “fled the scene but left a lot of evidence in their wake,” Sheriff Woods relates. He further explained that they appear to be “part of a larger group who have been involved in burglaries and robberies.” He wants the other killer brought to justice.
This crime gives him nightmares. He’s had to “stare into the eyes” of the suspects’ mothers who were “willing to give their sons everything” before their arrests. He feels a bad for them as the parents of the victims.
Society has failed
Sheriff Woods is taking this one personally. “I am a father, and I cannot fathom what they were going through. These mothers and the mothers across this nation need all of your help.” What “infuriates” him, he declares, “The fact is society fails them. We do not hold our juveniles accountable. We minimize their actions.”
Even when they’re a killer. This was a fully adult crime and needs to be treated like one. Local residents are edgy, “especially after officials announced the unrelated murder of an adult male last week.”
The community has been rocked by the hideous triple teen homicide since MCSO deputies responded to the area of Forest Lakes Park on March 30. They aren’t saying what brought them out there but what they found was Ms. Silvernail with a gunshot wound. No killer was anywhere in sight. “Authorities transported the teenager to a hospital in critical condition, and she lost brain function until she was pronounced dead.”
Marion County, FL Sheriff Woods laid down the law for the press. He let the media know that the gun wasn't the cause of the crime, it was the criminal and said additional laws wouldn't have changed the outcome. pic.twitter.com/teouCmvdei
— Military Arms (@MAC_Arms) April 7, 2023
The next day, “MCSO deputies responded to SE 94th Street and SE 188th Court and located a deceased 17-year-old male with a gunshot wound.” The day after that, “the MCSO Major Crimes Unit, Forensic Unit and Underwater Recovery Team responded to the area of Malauka Loop and Malauka Loop Trace and found Layla Silvernail’s vehicle partially submerged in a body of water.”
Police know that the suspects “were in Silvernail’s vehicle with the victims prior to their deaths” She got into the car with her killers and was “there of her own free will.” Once they got a look inside, “they found 16-year-old Quarles dead from a gunshot wound.”
Both girls played softball and Silvernail “was homeschooled.” The sheriff is convinced the suspects were part of a “wannabe” or “neighborhood” gang, and the victims likely knew them. They’re still looking for Layla’s white Chevy sedan and might find the missing killer when they do.