Police in Fairfax, Virginia have found the body of Nabra Hussein, a 17-year-old girl who went missing from The ADAMS Center Mosque on the morning of Sunday, June 18.
According to Fairfax Police, the girl was walking from The ADAMS Center toward a shopping center with a group of friends around 3 AM. She then allegedly got into a dispute with a man driving a red car, who then got out of his car and assaulted her.
At this time, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Phyllis Randal identified the victim as Nabra Hussein, who was a sophomore at South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia, and would have been starting her junior year this fall.
https://twitter.com/PRandallcares/status/876595465659219968
via WUSA 9:
Fairfax Police began searching at 4 a.m. Sunday. Her body was found Sunday around 3 p.m. floating in a pond in the 21500 block of Ridgetop Circle in Sterling, Virginia.
Police noticed a car driving suspiciously in the area and stopped it, arresting the driver, who was taken into custody and identified as 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres, of Sterling. He has been charged with murder.
Chairwoman Randall said police found a bat near the scene. Police have not yet ruled whether or not it was a hate crime. The chief medical examiner will confirm the identity of the victim and determine the exact cause and manner of her death.
A vigil is expected to be held for Nabra on Wednesday, June 21, in the Reston, Virginia. A GoFundMe page set up for Nabra’s family has raised more than $25,000 at the time of this writing.
The ADAMS Center Mosque released a statement on the tragic incident:
On Sunday, June 18th 2017, at approximately 4 a.m., according to Fairfax County Police, a dispute occurred between a group of teens who were walking along Dranesville Road in Sterling and a man driving a car. It appears the man got out of his car and assaulted one of them, a 17-year-old girl. Community members came across the group and directed them to ADAMS Center. Immediately thereafter, the ADAMS’ personnel notified both Loudon County and Fairfax County authorities who immediately began an extensive search to locate the missing girl.The search continued until around 3 p.m. when the body of a female were found in a pond in Sterling. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to confirm the identity of the body and determine the exact cause and manner of death.The joint county investigation has led to an individual being taken into custody as a suspect. Charges are pending further investigation. We thank both Fairfax County Police and Loudoun County Sheriff’s departments for their diligent efforts in investigating and apprehending a suspect. We call on law enforcement to investigate and determine the motive of this crime and prosecute to the full extent of the law.We are devastated and heartbroken as our community undergoes and processes this traumatic event. It is a time for us to come together to pray and care for our youth. ADAMS has licensed counselors on site to assist anyone in need of counseling during these difficult times.We would also like to thank our community, government officials and interfaith partners for their prayers and support during these tough times.For further questions, we ask that you please contact the Fairfax County Police Media Relations Bureau, 703-246-2253. Due to the nature of the ongoing investigation we have been advised not to discuss this matter further.
Darwin Martinez Torres, of Sterling, Virginia, was arrested and charged with murder. Fairfax County police said the murder was a result of from a “road rage incident” and that there was no evidence to warrant a hate crime charge.
According to the New York Times, Torres is an undocumented immigrant who entered the United States illegally. A spokeswoman for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that Torres is believed to be from El Salvador.
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