Central Florida 'Gang' Boys, 17 and 12, Arrested In Connection With 3 Suspected Murders In 3 Days: Sheriff

Two school-age boys were under arrest April 7 and a third was being sought for a chain of three suspected murders in central Florida.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told a news conference that one of the captured suspects is 12. The other is 17.

“Each and every one of them was in some shape or form was associated with a gang,” WFTV quoted Woods as saying.

Robert Robinson, 17, and Christopher Atkins, 12, were arrested Thursday night. The sheriff named the third wanted suspect: Tahj Brewton, 16.

Knewz.com reported earlier this week that three teens were found shot over three days.

Only one victim has been identified publicly. Layla Silvernail, 16, was discovered wounded along a roadside Thursday, March 30. She died later at a hospital.

The second victim, a male, was found shot and killed along a roadside the next morning.

Then Silvernail's car was found partly submerged in a pond April 1 about nine miles from her body. A female was found shot and killed inside the car.

The killings sparked many rumors in central Florida. At one point, Woods posted a social media video assuring the public that a serial killer was not at large.

The accused killers “fled but left a lot of evidence in their wake,” Woods told reporters Friday. He added that the suspects had a record of robberies and burglaries in the Marion County area.

Woods thanked federal, Florida state and regional authorities for their help in finding the suspects.

A GoFundMe account established by Silvernail's club softball league has more than $6,200 in pledges.