Inset: Gabbriana “Gabby” Boyster (Facebook). Background: News footage from the Hillsboro, Mo., neighborhood where Gabby Boyster was found dead (KMOV).
A 16-year-old Missouri girl was killed in what investigators say was a shooting involving one of her friends, leaving her mother to discover her body inside their home.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said Gabbriana “Gabby” Boyster, 16, was found dead by her mother Saturday afternoon from a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators believe the shooting happened the previous night. Three teenage boys were arrested in connection with her death, though officials have not released their names because they are juveniles. Local NBC affiliate KSDK reported that all three suspects are boys.
Gabby’s mother, Candy G’Sell, told KSDK that the boys were all friends of her daughter.
G’Sell said she was not home while Gabby was there with her friends, but she had last spoken with her daughter on Friday night. When she returned to the house the next afternoon, she found Gabby in her bedroom, “sitting up,” and called 911. First responders pronounced the teen dead at the scene.
In a press release, police said detectives identified three juvenile suspects who had been with Gabby on the night she died. All three were charged with abandonment of a corpse. One of the juveniles was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, unlawful use of a weapon, and armed criminal action. That suspect remains in juvenile custody, while the other two were released.
Authorities have not said who owned the gun allegedly used in the fatal shooting.
Local CBS affiliate KMOV reported that Gabby was preparing to begin her junior year of high school in the upcoming school year. Hillsboro School District Superintendent Dr. Jon Isaacson said in a statement obtained by KMOV, “While words cannot take away the pain of this tragedy, we want our students, staff, and families to know they are not alone. We are committed to providing support and care for everyone who is grieving during this difficult time.”
G’Sell told KSDK, “There’s no relief. My baby is gone. What mother wants to bury their baby?”
