16-Year-Old in Conflict With the Law Over Deaths of Two Baltimore Siblings
After the deaths of two siblings in Gwynn Oak, Baltimore County, Maryland, teenage violence, relationships and child safeguarding issues have come to the fore in a case involving a 16-year-old in conflict with the law.
On July 7, a 15-year-old girl and her nine-year-old brother were discovered dead in their home. Police and court records indicate that their mother found the children and called the police and emergency services.
The 16-year-old is alleged to have known the 15-year-old girl and been spending time with her prior to the deaths. A friend told investigators the girl had been talking to a boy called Keith via video calls in the weeks leading up to the incident, the criminal complaint said.
The police say the child in trouble with the law went to the girl’s house on July 4. The complaint says that the friend saw him with the girl and a handgun during a video call.
The girl had also reported threats connected to her interactions with other boys to her friend, investigators allege. Messages found on her tablet allegedly contained similar threats, police said.
Witness statements, mobile phone location data and surveillance video helped authorities in the investigation, authorities said. Police say the 16-year-old was seen getting on and off a bus at the house before the killings and then again after the killings.
Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said the situation was “very disturbing” and advised families to “watch who their kids are hanging out with.
The case involves concerns for the safety of adolescent relationships, threats, dating violence and children’s access to guns.
It also highlights the need to identify signs of concern in relationships between children and to provide safe avenues for children to report threats or manage behaviour.
The 16-year-old is still in custody while the legal process continues. The allegations have not been proven in court.
