A Florida girl was allegedly stabbed by her ex-boyfriend in a “very violent” attack and left for dead in a nature preserve two weeks after celebrating her 16th birthday.
The body of Abbriella Elliott was found by a hiker about 50 to 100 feet inside the Cypress Lakes Preserve Trailhead in Hernando County on the morning of March 27, the Hernando Sun reported.
Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhui said that a witness saw Elliott leaving her home at around 1 a.m. that morning, where they believe she went “to go meet an individual who was likely the person who killed her.”
“We could tell pretty quickly that there was a lot of passion and a lot of violence involved in the particular death so we were relatively confident that it wasn’t a random act,” Nienhuis said during a press conference. “It was nothing short of very violent.”
Nienhui said the teen was likely killed with an “edged weapon.”
Cameron Cubel, 16, was arrested on first-degree murder charges on March 28 in connection to Elliott’s killing, Fox 13 Tampa reported.
Nienhuis said that the victim knew her alleged killer but didn’t elaborate further.
However, Elliott’s parents told 10 Tampa Bay that Cubel is their daughter’s ex-boyfriend and that the pair had been broken up for six months.
Her parents said that Elliot was killed two weeks after her 16th birthday.
Police have yet to confirm the nature of the teens’ relationship but did say Cubel had a prior battery charge.
The Post has contacted the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
Elliot’s mother, Danyel Caltagirone, described her daughter as someone who was “always smiling and singing and acting goofy” in a GoFundMe set up to help the family with funeral expenses.
“Abby’s spirit shone brightly, and she had an extraordinary ability to make others feel loved and cherished. Her laughter and warmth filled every room, and she had an unwavering ability to lift the spirits of everyone she met,” the teen’s family described her further in an obituary.
At a prayer vigil held for Elliot on March 30, her stepfather, Leo Lind, said she would have been “so happy” with the number of people who showed up to celebrate her life, Bay News 9 reported.
“The light she brings to people, her smiles, she’s just fun to be around,” he said.
“I’m just so happy, and I know she’s here with us, and she saw the turnout.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
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