A suspect is in custody in connection with the brutal murder of a 17-year-old high school cheerleader whose stabbed body was found in California days before Christmas.
Angelina Camilia Gonzalez's family says the young woman's ex-boyfriend is responsible.
Gonzalez's family told a local station. KABC On December 20th, her ex-boyfriend reportedly came to pick her up from a cheerleading banquet and took her home.
Around 10 p.m. that night, officers from the Azusa Police Department found Gonzalez suffering from stab wounds.
She was rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
The family claims one of them was able to track Gonzalez's cell phone to his ex-girlfriend's house, according to KABC.
“When I got there, there was already crime scene tape being put up, forensics being done, all kinds of work being done. And I ran up to the police officer and said, 'Hey, my daughter's in there. ” he said. You know, my daughter is there. trying to find her. She is not at home. 'That's when they told me to wait a minute,'' Robert Caraballo, Angelina's stepfather, told KABC.
Caraballo said she told her stepdaughter many times to stay away from her ex-boyfriend, but she also said she had a “really big heart and always saw the good in him.”
Gonzalez is about to turn 18 on January 7, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his mother, Letica Carabello.
“She had a great future ahead of her. She had a heart of gold. She was my perfect, gorgeous angel baby,” Letica Carabello wrote.
“I don't even have the words to say. I can't even cope. I need her. Our family is devastated. Thank you for your support and love. Thank you everyone.”
Police have not identified the suspect, saying only that he is an 18-year-old Azusa resident who is an acquaintance of the victim.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told Fox News Digital that the suspect's arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.
The district attorney is also reviewing the case and a charging decision is expected Tuesday morning, officials said.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Azusa Police Department for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
