From the YakimaHerald.com Online News.


Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008

Body in canal identified as missing teen
by Mark Morey
Yakima Herald-Republic

Detectives are still seeking a suspect in the shooting death of a 17-year-old Grandview girl, whose body was found floating July 4 in an Emerald Road canal.

The victim was publicly identified Wednesday as Jacqueline Abundez.

She had been reported as a runaway May 27 to Grandview police.

Yakima County sheriff's detectives have been backtracking her last days since a tentative identification surfaced last week.

Yakima County Coroner Maury Rice said he confirmed the match through dental records provided with the help of Sunnyside police.

The girl's body was discovered on the evening of July 4. It was floating in a canal off the 5500 block of Emerald Road, south of Sunnyside.

She had suffered a shotgun blast to the chest, according to an autopsy.

Detectives have received reports indicating that more than one person may have been at the scene when she was shot, although the location and the circumstances have not been confirmed. The identities of those people and the suspect are still being sought, said Stew Graham, chief of detectives for the sheriff's office.

Graham said the girl had a history of running away.

Grandview police said Abundez had been home at least once to get some clothes since she was reported missing. Officers contacted the mother several times, but she was not able to provide more information on possible locations for her daughter, Assistant Chief Mark Ware said.

A death notice from Smith Funeral Home stated she had attended schools in Grandview and Sunnyside. She is survived by her mother, stepfather, a sister and a brother.

A rosary will be recited at 6 p.m. today at Smith Funeral Home in Sunnyside. Mass of Christian burial is set for 1 p.m. Friday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Sunnyside. Burial will follow at Lower Valley Memorial Gardens in Sunnyside.

 

Have any info?

Anyone with information about the homicide of 17-year-old Jacqueline Abundez of Grandview may call the Yakima County Sheriff's Office at 574-2500 or the Crimestoppers hot line at 800-248-9980. Crimestoppers callers can remain anonymous. They receive a cash reward if their information leads to an arrest and felony charges.

 


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