Police have arrested a man accused of killing a child in neighboring Mercer County.
According to Mercer County State Police, law enforcement was dispatched to Shenango Lake in Clark Borough June 25th to investigate dismembered human remains recovered in and near the water.
An autopsy identified the victim as a 14-year-old boy who had been reported missing from Sharon June 22nd. The cause of death has been determined to be homicide due to sharp force trauma to the head.
An investigation into the victim’s cell phone provider and social media along with multiple points of video surveillance indicate the victim went to a public park between 3 and 4 a.m. June 23rd apparently waiting to meet someone in the area of a canoe launch.
Through further investigation, police observed a suspect vehicle returning to Riverwalk Apartments. Video surveillance there showed an individual identified as DeShawn Watkins leaving and returning with a large duffel bag.
The next day Watkins made several trips out of his apartment carrying multiple garbage bags. A police test for blood in Watkins apartment revealed positive results in several locations including under the bathroom floor. Watkins has been charged with criminal homicide and is currently in the Mercer County Jail.