A St. Johns County teen faces a murder charge in the death of a schoolmate, whose body was found in her Durbin Crossing neighborhood Sunday, hours after she was reported missing. Aiden Fucci is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 13-year-old Tristyn Bailey. Though authorities have released few details in the case, here are five key facts we’ve pinned down so far.
Who’s suspected in the case?
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The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office believes Fucci, a schoolmate of Bailey’s at Patriot Oaks Academy, is the lone suspect in her killing.
“We have a suspect in custody,” Sheriff Robert Hardwick said Monday. “That is the only suspect.”
Director Howard Cole, who leads the agency’s criminal investigations division, told the News4Jax I-TEAM on Tuesday that despite rampant speculation on social media, detectives believe the suspect acted alone.
“I would say the other names that have been tossed around are classified as witnesses,” Director Cole said.
How did Tristyn Bailey die?
The medical examiner’s office has ruled Bailey’s death a homicide, saying she was stabbed to death, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.
According to a copy of Fucci’s arrest report obtained by News4Jax, the 13-year-old victim “appeared to have significant injury to her head” along with other visible signs of trauma.
No information about a possible murder weapon has been released.
Where was Tristyn Bailey found?
Bailey’s body was discovered about 6 p.m. Sunday by a neighbor who went out for an evening walk.
According to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the discovery was made at the south end of a pond in a cul-de-sac at the end of Saddlestone Drive in Durbin Crossing.
That’s a little more than a quarter of a mile from Fucci’s home, according to his arrest report.
What’s the evidence in the case?
Few details have been released about the kind of evidence investigators have collected so far.
According to Fucci’s arrest report, a search of his bedroom turned up multiple “items of evidentiary value,” including pieces of clothing that gave presumptive positive tests for the presence of blood.
Fucci gave conflicting statements but made “several admissions,” according to the report. Exactly what he told investigators was redacted from a copy of the document made public Tuesday.
When was Tristyn Bailey last seen?
Authorities are relying on surveillance footage to build their case after uncovering multiple pieces of video that appear to show Fucci and Bailey together before her disappearance.
One clip from one of Durbin Crossing’s community centers shows two people matching Fucci’s and Bailey’s descriptions walking north about 1:14 a.m. Sunday, according to Fucci’s arrest report.
A neighbor’s surveillance camera captured the same pair walking along Saddlestone Drive about 1:45 a.m. Sunday, the report said, but only one of them was seen walking the other way about 3:27 a.m.