Massachusetts teenager dead as police investigate apparent murder-suicide

A 16-year-old Massachusetts girl was found dead in an apparent murder-suicide. Authorities believe she was kidnapped and killed by her stepfather.

According to the district attorney's report, Acton police responded to a call Thursday evening reporting that the 16-year-old victim had been kidnapped by her stepfather, 49-year-old Juliano Santana.

The victim, whose identity has not been released, was the subject of an active restraining order against her stepfather, whom she reported for several incidents of sexual assault in 2021.

He was arrested on six counts of aggravated rape of a child and was released on $30,000 bail, awaiting trial in July.

Police worked with Santana's probation officer to track him down using a GPS monitoring device. They went to a parking lot at Pine Hill Condominiums off Route 2A, near the victim's school.

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They found Santana and the victim dead from gunshot wounds in his vehicle. The investigation is active and ongoing. Authorities are reportedly treating the incident as a murder-suicide.

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