TheIndyChannel.com
Related To Story
Man Arrested After Teen Found Dead On River Bank
Police Say Spattered Blood Found On Suspect's Clothing
POSTED: 12:28 pm EDT September 20, 2007
UPDATED: 3:30 pm EDT September 21, 2007
ANDERSON, Ind. -- A man whose 911 call led emergency personnel to find a teenage girl's body in an Anderson park Thursday morning is expected to make a court appearance Friday following his arrest in connection with her death, police said.
Jesse L. Pitts, 20, was being held Friday morning, a day after emergency personnel found 14-year-old Amanda Brinker (pictured) fully clothed, face-down and dead on the bank of the White River at Edgewater Park.
Images: Police: 911 Caller Arrested In Teen's Death
Police said Brinker, an Anderson High School student, appeared to have died of blunt force trauma. Pitts told investigators he had taken her to the park on Thursday morning and called 911 when she fell and hit her head on something, police said.
That call came at about 8 a.m., and emergency personnel found Brinker's body at about 8:15 a.m., 6News reported. Police said they believe Brinker's death was a homicide and investigators were looking for a weapon.
"(Pitts) was present at the time of death and took actions that we believe contributed to (Brinker's) death," said Anderson Police Department Detective Joel Sandefur.
Sandefur said police found blood spattered on clothing in Pitts' possession.
Witnesses told police that Brinker had entered Pitts' car at a bus stop Thursday morning. Pitts told investigators he drove her to the park and that they smoked marijuana, police said.
Jesse Pitts
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
Police said Pitts and Brinker knew each other for some time, but the extent of their relationship wasn't clear. Investigators said Brinker had not been sexually assaulted.
"Everybody's in shock at this time," said Brian Golish, a friend of Brinker's family. "Everybody's grieving, but it's just going to get worse before it gets better."
Golish said Brinker was like a daughter to him.
"She really loved animals, and she was really a sweetheart to us," Golish said. "It's going to be a big loss. I just don't understand why someone would do that."
Fund Established For Funeral Expenses
A fund has been established to help Brinker's family pay for her funeral.
Donations can be made at or sent to the Independent Federal Credit Union, 1107 E. 24th St., Anderson, IN 46016. For more information, you can call the credit union at 765-649-9271.
Copyright 2007 by TheIndyChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment