A missing person case in Tennessee quickly turned into a homicide prosecution, killing one youngster and putting another behind bars. According to law enforcement, the formal investigative move in Trinity Bostic’s case was almost inevitable. The 17-year-old girl had been missing for less than a week when her body was discovered along a state route near the woods by a state Department of Transportation worker picking up trash early last week.
The woman, described as lovely, compassionate, and enthusiastic in comments on her obituary, was from the little town of Lafayette. Her alleged killer, a 17-year-old lad from the adjoining, even smaller village of Westmoreland, police claim. The suspect’s name has not been disclosed.
Trinity was initially reported missing as a runaway on the evening of June 29, according to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office. Interviews with family and friends were conducted to determine her possible location.
Woman Arrested as DECOMPOSING NEWBORN DISCOVERED IN CAR TRUNK, Police Report
“Trinity’s cell phone number was obtained, and we immediately began to trace her location, which led us to areas outside of Macon County,” Sheriff Joseph Wilburn stated in a press release on Friday. “We informed agencies in Sumner County where we tracked her down. Efforts to locate were fruitless.
Trinity’s body was discovered on July 3 at the wood line of State Route 386, near the intersection of Vietnam Veterans Boulevard and New Shackle Island Road in Hendersonville, a medium-sized city around 50 miles southeast of Lafayette, according to police.
On July 5, Trinity’s remains were identified. That same day, Sgt. Nicholas Edwards told USA Today that the death probe was “essentially a homicide investigation.”
The Hendersonville Police Department apprehended the youngster on July 6 and charged him with one count of first-degree murder.
“No other details surrounding this incident will be released at this time to maintain the integrity of the investigation,” the police department stated in a news release that was amended twice.
The victim’s cause of death has not been determined, according to officials, and an autopsy report is awaited.
Colorado DEPUTIES CHARGED in TASING of GRANDFATHER, Civil Case Concludes With $1.5 Million
The defendant is now incarcerated in Sumner County.
Trinity would have been a senior at Macon County High School.
The school’s next graduating class rose to the occasion by starting a GoFundMe page for the victims’ families.
“The class of 2025 is saddened by the passing of our classmate,” the web fundraiser reads. “We intend to raise funds to assist and support her family during this time. Any amount provided will be used to aid Trinity’s family with expenses and is sincerely appreciated.”
An older acquaintance of the murdered girl recently spoke with Nashville’s Fox affiliate WZTV about the tragedy.
“She was excited about graduating,” said Kathy Duffer, who met Trinity while working on community projects together. “She was a highly intelligent girl. She was clever and a diligent worker.
Trinity, who worked at Walmart when she died, enjoyed music and fashion. According to the TV station, she frequently assisted her father in his auto garage, where the two worked on automobiles together.
“She had a lot of energy,” her buddy, 14-year-old Khloe Redfield, told Lawandcrime. “She was usually giggling on the phone, on FaceTime. She had the most incredible laugh you could imagine.
Tasha Calcote, Trinity’s half-sister, slammed law police for not publishing the victim’s image on social media sooner.
“It could have reached so many more (people) if it had been put out immediately,” Calcote told the TV station.
Now she’s left wondering what may have been.
“(Trinity) was talking to me about becoming a lawyer or studying criminal justice,” the girl’s sister explained. “She was deeply loved, and she is already greatly missed. “She would have had a bright future.”