Authorities say a man who came across the body of a 14-year-old girl in a wooded area near her Florida home did not immediately alert law enforcement — and instead allegedly walked off with her scooter.
Fourteen-year-old Danika Troy was found dead in the woods near her home in Pace, Fla., on Dec. 4. Investigators allege that two teenage boys — including one she reportedly had a crush on — lured her into the woods, shot her and then tried to burn her body.
According to an arrest report, Danika’s body was discovered by Mitchell Eddins, who said he had stopped to relieve himself when he noticed a burned patch of woods.
The report states that Eddins first saw a black scooter and went to pick it up. Only then did he see the burned body nearby. He allegedly took the scooter back to his home and later told neighbors what he had seen. They advised him to contact authorities — but he never did, according to the report.
When investigators asked why he hadn’t immediately called police, Eddins allegedly said he had planned to do so, the report notes.
Officers later seized the scooter. Eddins was arrested and charged with petty theft and failure to report a death, according to the report.
According to a separate arrest report cited by WEAR, the Pensacola News-Journal and WALA, two teens have been arrested in connection with Danika’s killing: 16-year-old Gabriel Williams and 14-year-old Kimahri Blevins. Neither has yet been charged as an adult, though prosecutors could still pursue adult charges, the outlets report.
WALA, citing the arrest report, reported that Williams and Blevins allegedly planned the attack in advance. Blevins allegedly told investigators they intended to shoot Danika once, but Williams kept firing. The teens then allegedly burned her body and left the scene, according to the report.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told the Pensacola News-Journal that his office is working closely with the State Attorney’s Office to have both Williams and Blevins tried as adults.
“If you commit an adult crime, you deserve to serve adult time,” he said, according to the outlet.
Danika’s mother, Ashley Troy, previously spoke about the circumstances that led to her daughter’s death.
“She thought she was sneaking out to spend time with the boy she loved,” she said, apparently referring to one of the suspects. “She was currently grounded for doing the same thing. Kids just don’t think about consequences. She trusted him. It wasn’t hard to lure her. He had her heart. She would do anything for him.”
A GoFundMe created to help Danika’s mother with funeral expenses has raised more than $27,000 as of Wednesday, Dec. 10.
