Autumn Pasquale, the 12-year-old New Jersey girl found dead in a home recycling bin after having been missing for several days, was allegedly killed by two teenage brothers who wanted her bike.
The brothers, age 15 and 17, were arrested on Tuesday for Autumn Pasquale’s killing, NBC Philadelphia reported .
Autumn Pasquale had went missing on Saturday after telling her parents that she was going to a friend’s house. She left her home at around noon on her white BMX bike but never made it to the friend’s house.
The search of Autumn Pasquale included several hundred people who searched from New York to Delaware. Her body was found around 10:30 pm about five blocks from her home, stuffed into a blue home recycling container on the 300 block of E. Clayton Street. Police later found the white bike and several other items in a home on that street.
Friends of the residents told NBC Philadelphia that three teenage brothers live at the house and one liked to trade BMX bike parts. Police believe the boys lured Autumn Pasquale into their home, promising parts for the bike.
The suspects were actually turned in by their mother after reading their Facebook accounts, law enforcement officials said.
Before Autumn Pasquale’s alleged killers were arrested, the media had reported on several theories regarding her disappearance. Fox News spoke to local law enforcement officials about Autumn Pasquale’s case, and investigators said they thought it could be linked to a string of other attempted kidnappings in the area.
Before Autumn Pasquale’s body was discovered, police had also noted that they were searching the sex offender database for possible suspects.