A missing teenager found in a dumpster was killed by a football player that attended high school with her, police said.
Breana Rouhselang, 17, and six months pregnant, was pulled from a dumpster in Mishawaka on Dec. 9.
Police officers arrested Aaron Trejo, 16, a football player, late Sunday.
Trejo attended Mishawaka High School with Rouhselang, though the exact nature of their relationship hasn’t been made public. Family members said Rouhselang, a former cheerleader, was a manager on the football team.
They had interacted as members of the football team.
The pregnant teen was stabbed to death, shot, or both, although no official cause of death has been confirmed.
Rouhselang lived just down the street from the dumpster while Trejo lived a few blocks away.
After police served a warrant at the house and brought Trejo in for questioning, they charged him with murder.
“At the end of this interview, the decision for a preliminary charge of murder was made and he was ultimately transported to the St. Joseph County Jail,” said Aredt.
At a press conference, prosecutors called the murder “senseless.”
Reaction
Friends and classmates had trouble coping with the sudden death.“I didn’t believe it at first,” said Gabby Trozzy, another classmate of Rouhselang. “My first instinct was to like go on her Mom’s Facebook page, I was going to reach out but I shared a post like ‘R.I.P. You will be missed.’”
Classmates planned to walk out of class at 11 a.m. on Monday for six minutes in remembrance of the slain high school student.
School City of Mishawaka issued a statement Sunday, saying administrators are working with authorities investigating the “terrible tragedy.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family members and friends who have been affected by this great loss,” the statement said.
“Our focus now is to offer all of the support possible to our staff and students. There will be grief counselors available at Mishawaka High School first thing in the morning, and throughout the day. School will be open, and we believe it is best for all students to come and be around those who care for them.”