Arlington

Teen Detained in Death of 14-Year-Old Kaytlynn Cargill in Bedford

Girl was killed in June by "homicidal violence"

Police believe 14-year-old Kaytlynn Cargill of Bedford was murdered in June with a hammer after she was involved in a drug deal, according to court documents.

A 16-year-old juvenile acquaintance of the victim has been charged with murder in connection with her death and held on $250,000 bond, police said Friday.

He was arrested Friday morning at O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth, according to his arrest warrant.

The warrant, obtained by NBC 5, said Kaytlynn was involved in a drug transaction with the teen at the time she disappeared.

Text messages revealed she planned to go to the apartment complex swimming pool to meet the boy to obtain marijuana, the document said.

The boy was living in a nearby apartment and that's where she was killed, the affidavit said. Blood spatters were found in several areas of the unit.

The court papers also said detectives believe she was killed with a hammer and that investigators found a hammer with blood on it in the suspect's apartment.

The blood was later confirmed through DNA to be the girl's.

Police released little other information.

"Members of the Bedford Police Department have met with and informed Kaytlynn’s family of the juvenile’s detention. The juvenile was detained earlier today and has been taken to the Tarrant County Juvenile Detention Facility in Fort Worth," police said. "We want to take this opportunity to reassure our community that they are not at risk."

Cargill disappeared on June 18 while walking her dog in the Oak Creek West Apartments in Bedford where she lived with her family.

Her body was found two days later at an Arlington dump in the 800 block of Mosier Valley Road.

The Tarrant County Medical examiner ruled her death was caused by “homicidal violence” but offered no other details.

The death of a 14-year-old Bedford girl whose body was found in a landfill in June has been ruled a homicide by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office.

The department was criticized for not issuing an Amber Alert and doing more to find Cargill when she first vanished.

Police initially said investigators did not believe the teen was in danger and did not suspect foul play.

But Bedford Police Chief Jeff Gibson insisted the department did everything possible to find her and said the initial disappearance did not meet the criteria for issuing an Amber Alert.

Until now, police did not identify any suspects or persons of interest but said there was no evidence indicating a threat to the public.

Arrest Affidavit

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