A Florida teenager who vanished two years ago resurfaced Tuesday when she was arrested in North Carolina on a murder charge, CBS17 News reported.
Authorities said Gracie Elizabeth Landa, 18, was charged in the shooting death of Christopher Piedrasanta-Perez, 23, on May 30 in Durham. Officers found Piedrasanta-Perez and the two women wounded by gunfire inside a car around midnight on Rowemont Drive, according to the outlet. (RELATED: ‘Cruel Hoax’: Active Shooter Story A False Alarm, Police Say)
The two women survived their injuries and at least 40 shell casings were recovered at the scene, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. An autopsy confirmed Piedrasanta-Perez died from a gunshot wound.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 16: An exterior view of the arena prior to the game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Boston Bruins in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the PNC Arena on May 16, 2019 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Investigators said two or three suspects approached the car, opened fire and fled, an autopsy reportedly shows. Authorities have not said whether Landa knew Piedrasanta-Perez, and her arrest warrant does not specify if she also shot the two women, CBS17 News reported. The News & Observer noted the shooting may have stemmed from a dispute over a romantic relationship.
Landa was reported missing on June 27, 2023, and authorities believe she had been in Durham, North Carolina, during that time, CBS17 reported.
She appeared in court Wednesday, where a judge denied her bond. Her next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 11, according to the outlet.
Piedrasanta-Perez’s mother, Amalia, told the outlet the loss has been “hard.”
“He was my first baby. Since everything happened, there’s not been a day where I don’t go see his grave. We’re always there. It’s just been so hard, we haven’t stopped going to see him,” she told CBS17 News.
She said her son had been making a DoorDash delivery before he was killed.