Demiah Appling
After more than a month of searching, authorities said they found a missing girl dead. Demiah Appling was 14-years-old. Deputies in Dixie County, Florida, said on Friday that this was a homicide, and they are trying to figure out who killed her.
Appling was reported missing from Dixie County back on Oct. 24.
Her last confirmed sighting was on Oct. 16 at approximately 9:30 p.m. in the Suwannee Gardens neighborhood, deputies have said. That is in Old Town, Florida.
“Investigators believe that Demiah left the area in a vehicle around that time,” authorities said during the missing person case.
Deputies voiced concern even back then, saying her disappearance was suspicious and they think she could be in danger.
“New information reveals that Demiah was last seen wearing navy blue ‘Nike’ slides, white striped/SpongeBob SquarePants shorts, a black t-shirt, and a gold necklace with a heart-shaped charm,” deputies said in a Nov. 4 update. “She had her cell phone with her.”
Appling was finally found dead on Dec. 5 in neighboring Gilchrist County.
“When Demiah was reported missing, Sheriff Butler immediately recognized the importance of finding Demiah and assigned a team of investigators to concentrate their efforts on locating her,” deputies said. “In addition, the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office partnered with multiple agencies that assisted in the investigation and provided additional resources to aid in finding Demiah’s killer. Sheriff Butler would like to recognize the hard work of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, The Florida Department of Corrections, the District 8 Medical Examiner’s Office, and the State Attorney’s Office for their assistance on this case. All agencies’ combined efforts led us to discover Demiah’s final resting place. Our work here is far from over. The Dixie County Sheriff’s Office will continue their investigation and partnership with other agencies to ensure that the people responsible for Demiah’s death are held accountable.”
The Dixie County Sheriff’s Office wants anyone with information to reach the tipline at (352) 498-1245.
[Image via Dixie County Sheriff’s Office]
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