Suspect arrested in killing of Edna girl, 16
Mom found teen dead in their apartment bathtub
The man believed to have killed an Edna teenager was arrested Saturday and charged with capital murder.
Rafael Govea Romero was first identified in Schulenburg, where officers from the Edna Police Department and the Texas Rangers coordinated to arrest him, according to a news release. He was transported to the Jackson County Jail.
Romero, who police said is undocumented, is accused of killing Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old Edna High School student and cheerleader. Medina was found dead by her mother Tuesday in a bathtub inside the apartment they shared. Details of her death have not been released.
Edna is a small town in Southeast
Texas, about 100 miles southwest of Houston and 140 miles southeast of San Antonio. Medina had been living in Edna for about a year before her death, according to a GoFundMe post made by her aunt.
“She was loved by many but most importantly she is loved and will be missed by the family,” Medina’s aunt wrote in the post. “As a family we are asking the community for help to not only get justice for my sweet Lizbeth but for any support that you can offer to my family at this time.”
Medina was an only child and leaves behind her mother and several family members, according to the post. The fundraising campaign had brought in more than $18,500 as of Monday.
“Although Romero is apprehended, we recognize Lizbeth’s family and friends are grieving and will still need support from the community,” Edna Police Chief Rick Boone said in the news release.
USA TODAY staff writer Emily DeLetter contributed to this report.