Boy, 16, is charged with murder after body of 13-year-old Layla Jeffery was found in Donald, Victoria
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder after the body of 13-year-old Layla Jeffery was found in bushland in Victoria.
Layla was last seen on Saturday, July 4, on McCracken Street in Donald – about 280 km northwest of Melbourne – and was reported missing the following day.
Police found the remains believed to be those of the missing girl after conducting an extensive search of Donald’s area for the teenager on Thursday afternoon.
Victoria Police arrested the boy on Friday and confirmed on Saturday afternoon that he had been charged and would appear in children’s court here.
Layla’s heartbroken family had spoken out earlier on Saturday about the pain that had consumed them after losing the teenager.
Her aunt, Kaitlyn Cheyne, told reporters that Layla’s mother’s condition was “absolutely terrible.”
“(Layla and her mom) had a really nice night together, they were happy and laughing, it was a really sweet night and I’m really glad that was her last memory with him,” Cheyne said.
‘No matter how difficult and how terrible it was, we were somehow prepared for this outcome. As much as we wanted his house, we weren’t naive.
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder after the body of 13-year-old Layla Jeffery was found
Police found remains believed to be those of the missing girl after conducting an extensive search of Donald’s area for the teenager on Thursday afternoon.
‘And I’m also very, very happy that we couldn’t find it when we were looking, because I’m very, very happy that we couldn’t find it, even though we desperately wanted to.’
Ms Cheyne said the teenager left early on the morning of July 4 and left the lights on because he ‘planned to return’.
‘That’s why we haven’t turned off the lights since, because we were hoping he would just walk in the door and apologize for scaring everyone,’ he said.
Her aunt described Layla as incredibly sweet and sensitive, and not the type to “do something crazy.”
‘Whenever he found something, he would buy the same thing for his best friend because he wanted them to match,’ she said.
‘He took great pride in his appearance; She was acutely aware of her own worth and her own beauty.’
A. GoFundMe It was started to support Layla’s family.
