Friend of Jayde Kendall charged with murder of Queensland schoolgirl
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Version 0 of 1. A friend of Jayde Kendall has been charged with the Queensland schoolgirl’s murder almost two weeks after she went missing. The 18-year-old was arrested on Thursday afternoon after a tipoff led police to her body on a property at Upper Tenthill, about 17km from Gatton, where Jayde lived. He was subsequently charged with murder and misconduct with a corpse by interfering and was due to appear in the Brisbane magistrates court on Friday. Jayde, 16, was last seen getting into the male friend’s car outside Lockyer district high school on 14 August. Detectives questioned him at length after establishing he was the last person known to have seen her alive. Earlier in the investigation, police indicated he had told detectives he picked her up from school but later dropped her off. Detectives were unable to find anyone who could corroborate his story. Detective Acting Inspector Matt Howard has urged the community to respect Jayde’s family’s privacy. “As you can imagine, they are very upset to hear this news,” he said of the arrest. “It’s been a very complex investigation … and it’s very hard on investigators and, obviously, the family, but it’s led us to this result today.” He said a property owner had contacted police after noticing something amiss and Jayde’s body had been found during a search. On Wednesday a candlelight vigil was held for Jayde in the hope she would be found safe and well. “The love and support of family and the whole community has been overwhelming,” Jayde’s aunt Jenny Morrissey wrote on Facebook about the vigil. |