A Western Pennsylvania man has been arrested on suspicion he killed and dismembered a 14-year-old transgender girl late last month, authorities announced.
Pauly Likens was last seen on June 23 at a public park in Sharon, a city of 13,000 people near the Ohio border. She was reported missing on June 25 just after 2:30 p.m., authorities said.
Later that day, police found human remains scattered near and in the Shenango River Reservoir in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Additional body parts were later found in the area, local TV station WFMJ reported.
Last week, the Mercer County Coroner determined the human remains were those of the missing teenager, according to the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, an LGBTQ youth advocacy organization.
The Mercer County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death was sharp force trauma to the head, WTAE reported. Her body had been dismembered by “some type of cutting instrument,” officials said.
DaShawn Watkins was arrested on July 3 in connection with the gruesome crime, according to court documents.
Surveillance footage appears to show the 29-year-old man carrying several bags from his apartment around the time of the teen’s disappearance. Blood was also found in his apartment, according to a criminal complaint.
Watkins is charged with murder in the first degree, aggravated assault, attempts to cause serious bodily injury or causes injury with extreme indifference, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with/fabricating physical evidence.
Pauly’s mother and aunt have asked for privacy during this painful time but in a statement shared by a local LGBTQ rights leader, they described the teen as “loving, full of life and selfless.”
“Everyone she met was touched by her sheer existence,” Pamela Ladner, the president of the Shenango Valley LGBTQIA+ Alliance, said. “She loved nature, getting her nails done and shopping.”
On Monday, counselors were made available by the Sharon City School District for anyone who needed to talk about “the loss of our student, Pauly Likens.” A candlelight vigil to honor the teen’s life is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. at the alliance’s office, at 87 Stambaugh Ave. in Sharon.
Watkins is being held without bail at the Mercer County Jail. His next preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 17.
