Shocking family and friends, a criminally-minded teenage boy has murdered his own sister in a most cruel manner.
Fredrick Matthew Lochridge (right) and his murdered sister Isabella Heffernan
A 15-year-old boy, Fredrick Matthew Lochridge, was arrested on Sunday in the murder of his 10-year-old sister, Isabella Heffernan, after she was reported missing by her family and was later found behind her home in Fountain.
According to an arrest affidavit released yestreday, Lochridge, who was initially said to be 16 years old but is actually 15, admitted to shooting Heffernan with a .22 caliber rifle at around 3am on Sunday.
According to Daily Mail, during an interview with police, the teenager offered investigators conflicting versions of events, initially claiming that he shot the girl after mistaking her for a deer. He later changed his story, saying he fired the gun because he thought someone was attacking his sister but struck her instead.
In a third statement, the 15-year-old said he was teaching Isabella how to use a firearm when he accidentally shot her in the chest.
When the mortally wounded grade-schooler started making gurgling noises, Lochridge said: 'I didn't know exactly how to deal with that, so I shot her again,'
Lochridge then cleaned his sister's body, dressed her in a white frock and dumped her in a large field behind their house.
The 15-year-old initially hid the rifle used in the killing but later told deputies where to find it.
Daily Mail reports that Isabella's family reported her missing shortly before 11.30am the following morning when they discovered she had vanished.
Sheriff’s deputies accompanied by a K-9 unit, a mounted posse and an air unit launched a massive search in the area surrounding the family's house. Shortly before 4.30pm, Isabella's lifeless body was found in a field behind her home.
During the search for Isabella on Sunday, Lochridge's father became suspicious that his son may have had something to do with her disappearance. The man, also named Fredrick Lochridge, confronted the 15-year-old and handcuffed him.
Lochridge was initially charged with an open murder count but the State Attorney's Office will seek the highest charge they can of second-degree murder.