BREAKING: Teen Faces Char-ges After Layla Jeffery, 13, Found De-ad — One Heartbreaking Family Revelation Changes Everything
A teenage boy has been charged with murder after a 13-year-old girl was found dead in bushland in western Victoria.
Layla Jeffery was reported missing on July 5 after she was last seen on McCracken St in Donald the previous day.
Human remains believed to be hers were found on Thursday, before a 16-year-old boy from the Swan Hill area was arrested the following day.
The boy was charged with one count of murder on Saturday and is due to appear before a children’s court later that afternoon for a remand hearing.
Family left lights on hoping teen would return
In the days after Layla disappeared, her family left the light on, hoping she would walk back through the front door.
Now, Layla’s devastated family says they simply want justice, and answers.
Layla’s aunt, Kaitlyn Cheyne, said Layla left home about 3.57am on July 4 after switching on a light because “she was planning to come back”.
“That’s why we haven’t turned the lights off since, because we were hoping that she would just walk in the door, and apologise for scaring everyone.”
Layla was reported missing on July 5 after she was last seen on McCracken St in Donald the previous day.
Police launched a large-scale search of bushland west of Byrne St before finding human remains believed to be hers in parkland about 1km from her home.
While the discovery was devastating, Cheyne said the family was grateful Layla had been found.
“As hard as it is and as horrible as it is, we were somewhat prepared for this outcome. As much as we wanted her home, we were not naive,” she said.
“I’m also very, very glad that while we were searching we were not the ones to find her because as much as we desperately wanted to, I’m just very, very glad we did not.”
Asked how the family was coping, Cheyne’s response was simple.
“We aren’t. We just aren’t.”
Cheyne said her final interaction with Layla came just two hours before she left home, when the pair exchanged playful TikTok messages in the early hours of the morning.
“She’d sent me a message scolding me and telling me to go to bed,” she said.
“So I told her she’s not my mum and doesn’t get to tell me what to do.
“She of course denied that and swears she is my mother and it is her right.
“So it was just really nice banter with my niece and I’m really, really glad that I got to have that.”
The last time Layla’s mother, Tahlia, saw her was the night before she disappeared, when the pair spent a quiet evening together.
“They just had a really good night together and they were happy and laughing, and it was just a really sweet night, and I’m really glad that that is her final memory with her,” Cheyne said.
Cheyne described Layla as a sweet, shy and confident girl who loved fashion, beauty, bedazzling, shopping and spending time with her friends.
“Anytime she would find anything she would buy the same thing for her best friend because she wanted them to match,” she said.
“She took a lot of pride in her appearance; she had a lot of awareness of her own value and her own beauty.
“And she was absolutely gorgeous. She was just the sweetest girl. I loved how sassy she was.”
Cheyne said Layla was “very, very, very sensible” and described her as “13 going on 30”.
“She was never the type to go out and do anything crazy like underage drink,” she said.
A GoFundMe page has been launched to help cover funeral costs and provide practical support for Layla’s family.
“Like so many others, our Donald community is heartbroken by the tragic news surrounding Layla,” the fundraiser reads.
“No family should have to face the loss of a child while also worrying about the costs that come with saying goodbye and life for them moving forward.
“Every donation, no matter the amount, will help support Layla’s loved ones as they navigate the days and weeks ahead.”
Police continue to investigate Layla’s death.
An extensive search remained underway in Donald on Friday afternoon, with Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan urging residents to stay away from the area so investigators could carry out their work.
Dunstan said the boy was known to both Layla and police, while Cheyne said the pair had met through mutual friends.
Two Melbourne women, aged 53 and 55, who are linked to the 16-year-old boy, were assisting investigators but have not been arrested, police said on Friday.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
