A teenager who’s been missing for the last two years has been found, but is now behind bars on murder charges.
Gracie Elizabeth Landa, 18, is being held without bond on charges that she murdered Christopher Piedrasanta-Perez, 23.
Landa disappeared from her home in Tampa, Florida, on June 27, 2023, when she was 16. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children highlighted her case, and said at the time that she may have traveled to Durham, North Carolina.
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According to an arrest warrant reviewed by The News & Observer, investigators said that Piedrasanta-Perez was sitting in a car with two friends on May 30 when two or three people approached the vehicle and opened fire. At least 40 casings were found at the scene. Piedrasanta-Perez and the women were there because one of their friends planned to fight another girl in a conflict over a romantic relationship, investigators said.
Piedrasanta-Perez’s mother told WNCN that her son had parked his car after delivering for DoorDash when several people came out of the woods, shooting.
An online fundraiser for the victim describes him as “respectful, funny, caring, loving, hardworking” and says he was the first grandchild of 10.
Landa is due to return to court for a hearing on Sept. 11, according to court records.
This story was originally published by Lauren Silver with Court TV.
