Pennsylvania police said that the gruesome murder and dismemberment of a teenage transgender girl was the result of a meetup from an online dating app.
14-year-old Pauly Likens of Sharon was last seen on June 22 and reported missing to police by relatives three days later, according to court records. The family had left town, and the teenager was living at a friend’s home at that time.
‘I‘ve seen dismemberments before a number of times but this is one of the worst.’
Police found human remains on that same day at Shenango River Lake and found more remains in the surrounding area for a week afterward.
The Mercer County Coroner’s Office determined that Likens had died from sharp force trauma to the head before the dismemberment. They also concluded that Likens was the victim of homicide.
Investigators said that 29-year-old DaShawn Watkins of Sharon told them that he had met Likens on the Grindr dating app for gay people and arranged to meet the teenager on June 23.
Police were able to determine through digital evidence that Likens had gone to the Budd Street Public Park and Canoe Lunch and appeared to wait for someone early that day.
Surveillance video showed a car at the scene that police later determined to belong to Watkins.
Police also were able to obtain security video showing Watkins carrying multiple bags and garbage bags to his vehicle from his apartment near the lake, including one instance where he struggled with a heavy duffel bag.
Blood evidence found at Watkins’ apartment also matched that of the victim, according to police.
‘I got a 14-year-old dead kid who was brutally murdered and dismembered. That kid deserves justice.’
Investigators have not determined a motive for the gruesome incident.
“Obviously all first-degree murder cases are extremely significant cases but a gruesome dismemberment of 14-year-old kid,” said Mercer County District Attorney Peter Acker. “I‘ve seen dismemberments before a number of times but this is one of the worst.”
Watkins is being held without bail at the Mercer County Jail. He was charged with murder, aggravated assault, evidence tampering, and abuse of a corpse.
Acker told PennLive that he would be pressing hate crime charges against Watkins.
“The position of state police is that it is not a hate crime because the alleged perpetrator was an admitted homosexual and the victim was transgender or transitioning,” said Acker. “However, as I said I got a 14-year-old dead kid who was brutally murdered and dismembered. That kid deserves justice.”
Likens died just days before the teen would have turned 15 years old.
Sharon is a city of about 13k residents near the border of Ohio.
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