LAWRENCE, Kan. — A 16-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the stabbing death of his grandmother in Lawrence on Tuesday.
Lawrence police responded to a call of a stabbing around 11:50 p.m. Monday to Northwinds Apartments on George Court.
The teen told police he made the call from a nearby friend’s home after finding his grandmother, Deborah Bretthauer, 67, dead in her own home.
Authorities found the woman dead at the scene, noting obvious traumatic injuries.
Neighbors said they never heard any kind of ruckus Tuesday, but knew something was wrong when officers arrived at the home late Monday night.
Bretthauer’s downstairs neighbor said she was a nice lady who frequently took care of her grandchildren. The crime comes as a shock to the residents of Northwinds Apartments, who said the area is typically peaceful.
“You expect to live in some place that’s quiet, but you never expect something like this,” another neighbor, Isabel Vera, said.
Officers transported the juvenile to the Investigations and Training Center where he was interviewed. At the conclusion of that interview, the subject was arrested in connection with first-degree murder and transported to the Douglas County Juvenile Detention Center.
Formal charges have not yet been filed.
The identity of the suspect is not being released, as he is a juvenile. Police expect him to be charged and in court on Wednesday.
