Girl, 16, murdered and found in woods; RPD asks anyone with information to come forward
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Rochester Police are asking anyone with information to come forward after a 16-year-old girl, Jakarah Lopez-Moore, was killed and her body was found in the woods in the city’s west side.
RPD Capt. Frank Umbrino spoke about the murder investigation on Tuesday morning. He said there’s limited information that police can share. Police aren’t announcing the cause of her death to avoid a false confession.
“Right now, there’s only a very limited amount of people who know how she died,” Umbrino said.
Umbrino said people fishing around the Erie Canal discovered a body behind 5 Vanguard Parkway in a wooded area near railroad tracks and contacted police on Saturday. The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as Jakarah’s. The body had been left there for over a month.
Umbrino said Jakarah left her home on Weld Street “under her own free will” at about 1:45 a.m. on Aug. 27 and never returned. Her family reported her missing on Aug. 29 and RPD said she was believed to be in danger.
Jakarah Lopez-Moore (Photo: Facebook, used by permission)
“Somebody knows something and that person needs to find it inside themselves to call us and give us the information that we need,” Umbrino said.
Jakarah’s best friend spoke with News10NBC about her shock after learning that Jakarah was found dead. She described Jakarah as a lovable, happy, and smart friend.
Umbrino said there were some false ransom messages after Jakarah was reported missing and RPD determined them to be unfounded with the help of the FBI.
Police are asking anyone with information to call 911 or email MajorCrimes@cityofrochester.gov.
Umbrino said that RPD currently has more than 60 open cases for missing children. You can see Umbrino’s full news conference here:
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