COMPTON—Two 15 year-old boys were arrested by deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in connection to the death of Samantha Bustos, 15, who was found dead on March 25. The teen’s body was discovered on the 500 block of Victoria Street near Dominguez Hill Industrial Park. Lt. Rodney Moore of the LASD indicated that “[Bustos] was located on the west sidewalk in between a fence line and the bushes.”
Investigators indicated that Bustos suffered a “traumatic injury” to her upper torso, which was revealed on Wednesday, April 3, via an autopsy that the traumatic injury was a gunshot wound.
On March 30, authorities were led to a 15-year-old boy who they believed was present at Bustos’ time of death. After they interviewed him, the minor was booked for murder.
On Tuesday, April 2, investigators were made aware of another suspect in Bustos’ murder. When authorities arrived at his home in Compton to detain him, the teen fled, but was found on a nearby rooftop. He was detained for questioning, where he implicated himself in the death of Bustos during questioning and was booked for murder.
The names of the suspects have not been released to the public because both teens are minors.
Bustos was last seen on Friday, March 22, where she informed her parents that she was attending a sleepover with a friend, but was actually attending a party. The family reported the teen missing on Sunday, March 24 after searching for her and several calls to her cell phone went unanswered.
The following statement was posed on a GoFundMe page setup for the teen:
“My niece Samantha Bustos went missing the weekend of March 22, in the city of Compton. A body was found Monday at 1:30am, and later was confirmed by her mother, my sister, blanca Bautista de Cuevas, that it was niece’s body that was found bruised and cut behind bushes in front of a business. We ask for your support to raise funds for her funeral expenses. We appreciate any donation. No donation is to small. Thank you.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or submit a tip anonymously via 800-222-8477.
Written By Aina Jankunas and Casey Jacobs
