The heartbreaking detail that 13-year-old Layla left behind
Updated ,first published
Layla Jeffery was an extremely loyal friend who loved shopping and fashion. When she found something she loved, she’d take a second so her best friend could wear it, too.
Her family cannot understand why the young girl’s body was found later on Thursday afternoon in woodland near Donald, a small town north-west of Melbourne.
Layla’s aunt, Kaitlyn Cheyne, held back tears Saturday morning as she described the pain of knowing the 13-year-old left the light on when she left home in the early hours of July 4, five days before she was found.
Cheyne said the teenager was home until 4 a.m. last Friday night, staying up late and sending TikTok videos to his aunt.
“We have no evidence of where he went after that or what happened. We just know he was here but then he wasn’t.”
“He had turned on the light before leaving because he planned to return.”
Layla’s body was found on Thursday afternoon by police, who conducted an extensive land and air search for the teenager.
He was last seen on Saturday, July 4, on McCracken Avenue in the west end of town. His family reported him missing to the police the next day.
Police said they searched wooded land near the Richardson River, which runs through Donald, west of Byrne Street, and found human remains.
Cheyne said Layla’s mother was “devastated” by the news, but the family was grateful their daughter had been found.
“No matter how difficult and how terrible it was, we were somehow prepared for this outcome,” he said. “As much as we wanted him to come home, we were not naive and were trying to prepare ourselves as much as we could.
“Then of course the worst happened, but I’d rather we never know what happened to him or where he went.”
On Saturday morning SES members continued to comb the paddocks at Donald near Woods Street, near where the remains were found.
The search party peered through knee-high grass and brush in seven rows.
Forensic investigators were seen taking photos near an overgrown vegetable garden Saturday morning.
Police divers were expected to arrive at the scene on Saturday as the Richardson River meanders around pastures near where Layla’s body was found.
On Friday, Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan from the missing persons squad said police had arrested a 16-year-old boy from northern Victoria. He was charged with one count of murder Saturday afternoon.
The unidentified child, who was brought to the Juvenile Court late in the evening, was arrested to appear in court again in November.
The court heard police had made an urgent application for an interim judicial order. Under the Crimes Act, if the police believe on reasonable grounds that evidence is likely to be lost or destroyed if delayed, they can apply for an interim order requiring the child to immediately submit to a compulsory procedure.
The judge agreed with the police and stated that the child’s physical examination should be carried out without delay.
“The physical examination was done in a timely manner, it really needs to be done immediately,” he said, making the provisional decision ahead of a full hearing on the remaining forensic applications later this month.
Police allege the boy killed Layla “on the Fourth of July,” according to court documents.
The court also heard the child had “some cognitive deficits”.
On Friday, police said the boy was known to police.
Detective Inspector Dunstan said: “We are absolutely confident that those responsible are now in custody. We do not believe there is anyone else who may have been involved in this situation. This is a tragic outcome for the community of Donald.”
Cheyne said Layla and the boy met through mutual friends. “It’s a small town,” he said. “Everybody kind of knows everybody, and all the kids they know know each other. So he had friends who knew his friends.”
Police said two women, one 53-year-old from Donald and the other 55-year-old from Melbourne, were also assisting with investigations. They were not arrested.
As her family comes to terms with the tragedy, Cheyne said she will remember Layla for how she lived.
“She absolutely loved her friends. She loved shopping and whenever she found something, she would buy the same thing for her best friend because she wanted them to match.
“She was very proud of her appearance. She was very aware of her own worth and her own beauty, and she was absolutely gorgeous.
“[I] I loved how sassy she was. You could tease him all the way and he’d give it right back. He never hesitated and never apologized because he knew he was right and was always so sassy and confident. “We just want justice, but we have to wait and see.”
The close-knit community in Donald, about 280 kilometers northwest of Melbourne, was stunned by the discovery.
Donald Football Netball Hockey Club encouraged all players to wear something pink “in Layla’s honour” throughout the weekend.
“Our little town is suffering,” they posted online. “As a community, let’s stand together and support each other during this incredibly difficult time. Let’s find strength in each other as we navigate the days ahead.”
The local football and netball club is tightly intertwined with Donald’s social scene; one local joker said the high street was likely to look deserted on Saturday morning as 90 per cent of the town was in Charlton, which supports the mighty Royal Blues.
Brothers Lindsay and Colin Somerville, who own Donald News Agency, said generations of families have lived in the small town and most people know each other.
“The mood here is very sad and people want to talk about it; everyone is in shock that this could happen to Donald,” Lindsay said.
“Most people have been here for years and years, and the kids don’t go very far.”
Donald residents dropped off scores of home-cooked meals for Layla’s family on Saturday, while others offered to buy clothes for the teen’s mother and brother for the memorial service. The crowdfunding campaign to cover funeral expenses has reached almost $20,000 in donations.
Most of Donald’s activities take place along the Sunraysia Highway, which is lined with railroad tracks and grain silos as you enter town. The main shopping strip is dominated by shop windows from the 1800s and early 1900s, where hand-painted signs and Australian flags are still proudly displayed. Murals depicting local life can be seen on the building walls.
John McConville, president of Donald’s advancement charity Donald 2000, said he felt “sick to his stomach” thinking about the teenager’s death.
“Our whole community is walking around shaking their heads; we’re devastated,” he said. “This doesn’t happen… it shouldn’t happen in a small, wheat-growing town like this.”
“In communities like this, we trust everyone and welcome everyone. Now we may be looking over our shoulders instead.”
Layla’s mother, Tahlia Cheyne, said Donald was seen as an “amazing, wonderful” person around him and that his family often kept to themselves. He was working at Bendigo Bank before having to resign due to illness.
“This will change the family forever, and that’s not fair,” McConville said. “This community is rallying behind them, but that won’t bring Layla back.”
Donald and the District Racing Club expressed their “deepest condolences to Layla’s family, friends and all those whose lives Layla touched” in a statement posted online Saturday morning.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this incredibly difficult time. We stand with Donald and the wider community as we come together and offer each other our support, compassion and strength as we overcome this heartbreaking loss. Fly high, beautiful girl.”
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