Facebook post helped lead to arrest in slaying of NJ girl
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CLAYTON, N.J. (AP) - Two teenage brothers charged with killing a 12-year-old girl who disappeared while riding her bike left behind evidence in their house, and one wrote a Facebook post that led their mother to call police, authorities said.
After a 48-hour search for Autumn Pasquale, investigators found her body stuffed into a recycling bin behind a vacant house next to the one where the boys lived with their family.
They were led there by a tip from the boys' mother, who prosecutors said was so concerned by a Facebook posting one of them made. Authorities would not say what the post said and it appeared not to be publicly available by Tuesday evening.
And when crime scene investigators went through the family's home, they said they found the girl's bike, backpack and other belongings.
The boys themselves were in plain sight at points in the intense search for Autumn. Several people in town said they saw them both at the vigil held Monday night in hopes that she would be found while allegedly knowing exactly where she was.
Authorities have not released the names of the brothers, who are 15 and 17, because they're charged as juveniles. But Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton said it's likely he'll ask that their case be moved to adult court.
Both turned themselves in Tuesday and were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, disposing of a body, tampering with evidence and theft. The younger boy is also charged with luring. Dalton said he persuaded the biking-obsessed Autumn to come to his home so they could trade BMX bike parts, and that the brothers stole her prized bike.
The boys' family could not be reached. Authorities said they were represented by public defenders, but the Gloucester County Public Defender office was closed shortly after charges were announced Tuesday afternoon and no one there could be reached.
The arrests brought to an end a grueling and emotional chapter in a horror for a rural town of 8,000 about 25 miles south of Philadelphia.
"I know a lot of you are angry over what has happened, and deservedly you have a right to be angry," Dalton said at day's end. "I hope today there is some measure of closure, and we can all mourn in the loss of this beautiful child."
On Tuesday night, more than tearful 600 residents gathered at Clayton Baptist Church for an hour-long healing service.
The suspects and the victim all have families with deep roots in the town.
Beverly Davis said she went to school with both the boys' mother and the girl's father. And 76-year-old Naomi Sampson, who lives about a block from the boys says that Autumn's father, postal worker Anthony Pasquale, used to deliver mail in their part of town.
Hundreds of volunteers - many from the town - joined the search for Autumn after she was reported missing.
After word got out late Monday and early Tuesday that her body had been found, the fears only ran deeper.
"We all thought that he was some creep luring children," said Joyce Fisher, who lives across the street from the boys who were charged and was a volunteer searcher who went to neighboring communities in search of a girl who was found a few hundred feet from her home.
But when the arrests were announced, the emotions changed again: Those charged were people known in the town, longtime neighbors.
Philip Wames, another neighbor, said he was conflicted. "It's almost like a relief that it's not some creepo," he said.
The boys are expected in court for a detention hearings Friday.
After a 48-hour search for Autumn Pasquale, investigators found her body stuffed into a recycling bin behind a vacant house next to the one where the boys lived with their family.
They were led there by a tip from the boys' mother, who prosecutors said was so concerned by a Facebook posting one of them made. Authorities would not say what the post said and it appeared not to be publicly available by Tuesday evening.
And when crime scene investigators went through the family's home, they said they found the girl's bike, backpack and other belongings.
The boys themselves were in plain sight at points in the intense search for Autumn. Several people in town said they saw them both at the vigil held Monday night in hopes that she would be found while allegedly knowing exactly where she was.
Authorities have not released the names of the brothers, who are 15 and 17, because they're charged as juveniles. But Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton said it's likely he'll ask that their case be moved to adult court.
Both turned themselves in Tuesday and were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, disposing of a body, tampering with evidence and theft. The younger boy is also charged with luring. Dalton said he persuaded the biking-obsessed Autumn to come to his home so they could trade BMX bike parts, and that the brothers stole her prized bike.
The boys' family could not be reached. Authorities said they were represented by public defenders, but the Gloucester County Public Defender office was closed shortly after charges were announced Tuesday afternoon and no one there could be reached.
The arrests brought to an end a grueling and emotional chapter in a horror for a rural town of 8,000 about 25 miles south of Philadelphia.
"I know a lot of you are angry over what has happened, and deservedly you have a right to be angry," Dalton said at day's end. "I hope today there is some measure of closure, and we can all mourn in the loss of this beautiful child."
On Tuesday night, more than tearful 600 residents gathered at Clayton Baptist Church for an hour-long healing service.
The suspects and the victim all have families with deep roots in the town.
Beverly Davis said she went to school with both the boys' mother and the girl's father. And 76-year-old Naomi Sampson, who lives about a block from the boys says that Autumn's father, postal worker Anthony Pasquale, used to deliver mail in their part of town.
Hundreds of volunteers - many from the town - joined the search for Autumn after she was reported missing.
After word got out late Monday and early Tuesday that her body had been found, the fears only ran deeper.
"We all thought that he was some creep luring children," said Joyce Fisher, who lives across the street from the boys who were charged and was a volunteer searcher who went to neighboring communities in search of a girl who was found a few hundred feet from her home.
But when the arrests were announced, the emotions changed again: Those charged were people known in the town, longtime neighbors.
Philip Wames, another neighbor, said he was conflicted. "It's almost like a relief that it's not some creepo," he said.
The boys are expected in court for a detention hearings Friday.
If the rolls in this murder were reversed, the media would label it a hate crime. Where is the 'equality' now?
It took some guts for the momma of those boys to speak up and do the right thing. It shows integrity on her behalf. This is just a sad deal all the way around for both families of the little girl and the boys.Â
Sure is a shame about the little lady, but my heart also goes out to the boys mother. What a horrible thing this is for her,too.
Sometimes a theft becomes something worse. I would hazard a guess this was not a premeditated murder - but one to cover a theft. Â At least, that is what I hope...for two brothers this young to plan to murder her for the bike would be really unthinkably evil.
I'm glad the mother had the moral aptitude to call police. This is such a tragic inncident. It would seem it was all over a bike? A beautiful, young, promising ladies life was stomped out over what? We need to value human life more as a society. My heart goes out to her friends and family, I really can't imagine.
The police state loves "facebook".
 @gjUhnhwwMspREt ...not as much as the public loves a criminal mind that's incapable of keeping his exploits to himself. How else is the 'little man' going to get noticed? For some, this is more than Facebook...it's their claim to 'FAME'book.
How heart wrenching for the family of this little girl and this community. It's a reminder that monsters are always closer to us than we like to believe.Â
This just blows me away.  People are actually relieved that she wasn't killed by a random psycho but the ramifications of brothers killing a girl for a bicycle is just as disturbing.  The complete void of any kind of empathy or foresight is simply appalling.  The most disturbing thought is that these boys are likely not the only kids in this  country being raised to consider material things as more valuable than life itself.  These sociopaths in the news lately killing people that they've known for years whose victims trusted them are the most evil and corrupt type of predatory monster.
Certainly the boys' mother is going through major grief of her own, to know that her sons were the ones that killed Autumn. There are many sad people in this town. So hard to believe.
Kudo's to the mom for turning them in but it would seem she also failed to teach them compassion and moral values. Those boys KILLED an innocent young girl for a BICYCLE! Eveyday it seems the world gets more and more crazy
 @scared_citizen I read somewhere else the dads comment about this situation. He didn't seem surprised at all. Said he hadn't talked to his kids in 6 years (or something like that) and they have had 'run ins' with the police before for theft, etc. Another article said that the house these boys lived in had frequent parties...was the  mother attending these parties? Or not home?Â
I'm kind of thinking the mom may have turned them in not just bc it was the right thing to do, but to get these little punk trouble makers off her hands.Â
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 @scared_citizen We can a lead a horse to water but cannot make it drink scared_Citizen! She may have tried to teach them, but it doesn't mean it stuck. Otherwise I agree with you on this! :)