A 16-Year-Old Girl Was Reported Missing 2 Years Ago. She Was Just Arrested on a Murder Charge

An 18-year-old who was reported missing from her Florida location 2 years agone has been arrested successful relationship pinch nan execution of a 23-year-old man successful North Carolina.

According to reports from section outlets The News & Observer and CBS 17, arsenic good arsenic an apprehension warrant obtained by PEOPLE, Gracie Elizabeth Faye Landa was arrested connected Monday, Aug. 18, successful relationship pinch nan sidesplitting of Christopher Piedrasanta-Perez connected May 30.

The News & Observer reported that Piedrasanta-Perez was 1 of 3 group changeable wrong a conveyance connected Rowemont Drive of Durham's bluish broadside astatine astir 12:30 a.m.

Two women were besides injured successful nan shooting, but authorities person not specified if Landa was successful nan car, aliases really she is connected to Piedrasanta-Perez's death.

In a study from nan Office of nan Chief Medical Examiner obtained by nan News & Observer, investigators authorities that Piedrasanta-Perez was sitting successful nan car pinch 2 friends adjacent a Durham parkland erstwhile 2 group approached and began firing shots into nan car.

More than 40 casings, including immoderate belonging to a 9 mm and .223 rifle, were recovered astatine nan scene, nan News & Observer reports, and Piedrasanta-Perez's autopsy states that he sustained a gunshot coiled to nan head.

In 911 calls obtained by nan outlet, a caller states that she had been changeable astatine slightest 10 times.

Landa was first reported missing erstwhile she was 16 years aged from her location successful Tampa, Fla. connected June 27, 2023, per CBS 17. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children later stated that they believed she had traveled to Durham. Though authorities ne'er formally announced that she had been located, Landa is nary longer listed connected nan center's website.

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Speaking pinch CBS 17, Piedrasanta-Perez's mother Amalia said that her boy had parked his car adjacent nan parkland aft he had vanished delivering orders for DoorDash.

In a caller warrant obtained by nan News & Observer, authorities allege that 1 of nan 23-year-old's friends had planned to face different personification astatine nan parkland owed to a conflict stemming from a romanticist relationship. The warrant does not specify Landa's alleged ties to nan incident, according to nan outlet.

Per nan warrant, information camera footage of nan incident from a adjacent building showed 2 group coming retired of nan woods and firing shots astatine nan car. The 2 suspects past fled into nan woods.

On a GoFundMe page started to assistance pinch ceremonial costs, Piedrasanta-Perez's family remembered him arsenic nan first of 10 grandchildren and a relative of 3 who had a "kind soul" and was "respectful, funny, caring, loving, hardworking."

"His beingness brought ray and comfortableness to nan family, had a consciousness of joke for illustration nary other, and now his absence has near a spread successful our hearts," nan GoFundMe states successful part. "Our family is devastated by this loss."

Speaking to CBS 17, Piedrasanta-Perez's mother called him "my first baby."

“He was conscionable a nosy brother, friend, grandson, and boy to beryllium around,” she said. “Always pinch that large smile.”

“Since everything happened, there’s not been a time wherever I don’t spell spot his grave. We’re ever there. It’s conscionable been truthful hard, we haven’t stopped going to spot him,” Piedrasanta-Perez's mother added.

Court records show that Landa made her first quality successful Durham County Court connected Wednesday, Aug. 20, and was not fixed bond. She is group to look successful tribunal again connected Sept. 11.