A 16-year-old cheerleader’s mother discovered her body in the bathtub earlier this week in Edna, Texas; police have now arrested a suspect in her murder.
Rafael Romero was captured in Schulenburg, Texas, on Saturday by the Edna Police Department.
Romero was taken to the Jackson County Jail after being detained for capital murder. The Texas Rangers, who are part of the state’s Department of Public Safety and conduct investigations into very violent crimes, are eligible for the death penalty if found guilty.
Ana Medina, Lizbeth’s aunt, said that she was a cheerleader at Edna High School with nursing aspirations.
In an interview with NBC News, she described Lizbeth as “outgoing and confident,” adding that she would gladly remove her blouse to give it to another person. Her boundless energy, youthful charisma, and amiability made her someone everyone could count on. Everything was abruptly ended.
According to a press release from the police department, Jacqueline Medina found her daughter motionless in the bathtub when she returned home on Tuesday evening. When the police finally arrived, they discovered her body.
At a vigil on Saturday night, members of the community remembered Medina.
In a Facebook post made on Sunday, Edna Police Chief Rick Boone stated that his officers were “dedicated to seeking justice” for the teenager.
This might place a heavy burden on Boone’s officers, as the department is small, as he explained in his letter. “They were more than willing to put in extra time outside of their regular shifts and even on their days off.”
A GoFundMe page established by Medina’s family is seeking donations to cover her burial and memorial expenses; she was born and reared in Nebraska by a single mother and had been a Texas resident for around one year.
Her loved ones will miss her dearly, but her family loves her the most, Ana Medina wrote on the memorial page.
