Ft. Myers Teen, Boyfriend Shot In Car As 3-Year Old Cousin Slept
FT. MYERS (CBSMiami) - A teenaged girl and her 23-year-old boyfriend were found dead in a car in Ft. Myers early Tuesday morning. Alive among the bodies was a 3 year-old girl, apparently the teen's cousin.
Fort Myers Police found 23-year-old Jerrett Byrd and 16-year-old Char'iah Owens inside the car around 4 a.m. Tuesday. They had both been shot a number of times, and paramedics said they had died in the car.
The 3 year old girl was asleep in the backseat when police found her. Ft. Myers police said she is Owens' cousin, and has been taken into state custody after she was checked at an area hospital.
Police said Byrd was Owens' boyfriend, and that she had been living with him. Friends told the Ft. Myers News-Press that Owens was 4 months pregnant.
The Toyota Camry in which the bodies and the toddler were found was riddled with bullets and was towed from the scene at the Gulfstream Isles apartments.
The 3-year-old found in the car is with Department of Children and Families social workers as the agency investigates and decides whether to petition the court to shelter the child, said Teresa Durdaller, a DCF spokeswoman.
Police said they don't know why the two were shot, or why the cousin was in the car with Owens.
