The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a suspected homicide that occurred Friday night northwest of Cortez, said Sheriff Steve Nowlin.
Shaylie Lynn Boyd, 33, was found dead in her home at 24194 County Road L from stab wounds, Nowlin said.
The suspect, a 15-year-old female, is suspected of second-degree homicide, said Nowlin, who added that additional charges were likely.
The suspect’s name was not released, but is related to the victim. Their specific relationship was not available. The suspect also lived at the home.
Boyd’s time of death was still being investigated. Sheriff deputies responded after 8 p.m. Friday when friends of Boyd found her dead.
According to the investigation, the suspect fled the scene in the family’s green Dodge Caravan, Nowlin said, then picked up a 16-year-old boy in Cortez. The two turned up on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona early Saturday morning in the town of Leupp, 44 miles northeast of Flagstaff, sometime after 1 a.m.
Nowlin said the 16-year-old boy became separated from the suspect and called his guardians from a convenience store in Leupp. His name was not released.
Navajo Police were contacted and transported the boy to the Shiprock, New Mexico, police station, where he was picked up by guardians, Nowlin said.
The female suspect later returned to the same convenience store in Leupp, made a phone call and turned herself in, Nowlin said.
She was held by Navajo Police until sheriff’s deputies in Coconino County, Arizona, arrived because she is not a Native American.
She initially was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft and was taken to the Coconino County Jail in Flagstaff, where she remained Saturday, Nowlin said.
An arrest warrant for second-degree murder was obtained Saturday morning for the juvenile suspect in the death of Boyd, Nowlin said.
Extradition will be arranged for her to be transported to the Montezuma County Detention Center. Information on her bond was not available, Nowlin said.
It was not known whether drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident. The circumstances and motive in the slaying are being investigated.
Boyd’s autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday by the Montezuma County Coroner’s Office. Boyd reportedly worked as a house cleaner, Nowlin said.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
