A 14-year-old girl was arrested and charged in the March murder of a California woman who was the daughter of an activist who advocated for victims of human trafficking.
The unidentified teen was named the suspect in the March 21 shooting death of Kendra Reana McIntyre, 20, who was gunned down while walking in a part of South Los Angeles known for sex work and human trafficking, KFSN reported.
Investigators said McIntyre was herself a victim of human trafficking, according to the outlet.
McIntyre was shot while walking near the southeast corner of 70th Street and Figueroa Street on March 21 at around 4:20 a.m., the LAPD said in a press release Tuesday.
McIntyre was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The 20-year-old’s mother, Debra Rush is the co-founder and CEO of Breaking the Chains, a non-profit located in Fresno that runs a safe house aimed to “break the chains of human trafficking” for survivors.
The organization works with local state and federal law enforcement to “Provide Hope, Healing, and Restoration to lives impacted by Human Trafficking,” according to its website.
Rush said her daughter had “childhood trauma” and suffered from “severe mental health issue(s).”
“My daughter never got the chance to unlock her vault,” Rush wrote in a statement obtained by ABC 30. “Even though we stood outside, banging on the door, crying and pleading for her to open it.”
The LA Medical Examiner’s Office found McIntyre was shot in the head and neck, according to KCAL.
The South Bureau Homicide Division investigating the murder identified the teenager as a suspect, two months after the shooting.
The LAPD did not disclose how the teen was named as the lead suspect.
She was arrested without incident on Monday.
A murder charge was filed against the juvenile by the LA District Attorney’s office on Tuesday.
