Texas police released chilling images of a person of interest tied to the mysterious death of a 16-year-old Texas cheerleader who was found dead inside her apartment.
The unidentified man who donned a black “Volcom” sweatshirt and has a distinctive tattoo behind his right ear, was photographed running, according to surveillance photos.
He was also seen driving a silver Ford Taurus, with model years ranging from 2010 to 2018.
Lizbeth Medina was found unresponsive in the Edna apartment she shared with her mother, Jacqueline, on Dec. 5 after she didn’t show up to a Christmas parade earlier that afternoon.
Edna Police did not specify the suspect’s photographed location in proximity to Medina’s apartment.
The young Edna High School cheerleader, whose mother said was a “loving, kind and big-hearted” girl, was declared dead at the scene.
“I lost it. She was my world, my everything. Everywhere, everything I do was for her,” her mother said.
Circumstances around the teen’s death remain unclear.
“We understand the community wants information in regards to the case, however, we have to keep the integrity of the investigation our number one priority,” the department wrote in a post on Facebook.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is assisting Edna police “in what investigators believe to be a capital murder,” the department said earlier this week.
An autopsy report has yet to be released.
The distraught mother of the bright teenager said upon finding her daughter in the bathtub, she “realized she was gone.”
“There was no laced drugs, there was nothing like that. My daughter was found in a way that no mother should ever find their child,” her mother, Jacqueline, said.
“Words can’t explain what I felt at that moment finding my daughter in the matter that she was. All I can say is that I hope with all my heart that there is justice for my daughter.”
Edna is home to around 6,000 people and is about 100 miles southwest of Houston.
“We also understand the community is concerned about the individual still being on the loose. Outside agencies are in the area and working with Edna Pd to provide extra patrol,” the department wrote.
A vigil was held for Medina Saturday at the Jackson County Courthouse, with attendees wearing white in remembrance of the slain cheerleader.
