A teenager who was native to Southern California died after being stabbed to death by her boyfriend in Illinois, her father tells KTLA 5 News.
Jon Prince reached out to KTLA on Tuesday morning, saying that his daughter, 17-year-old Cadence Prince, was stabbed multiple times by her boyfriend on Sunday night in O’Fallon, Illinois, which is located 18 miles east of downtown St. Louis, Missouri, in southwestern Illinois.
Local authorities confirmed that a stabbing took place at the Goshen Trailhead parking lot, located within the city limits, on Sunday night. While they did not disclose the exact time of the stabbing, the O’Fallon Police Department requested anyone who may have been in the area between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Sunday to contact them with further information.
Police also said an 18-year-old man has been taken into custody in connection with the stabbing and that the incident was not “random” as the suspect and victim were known to each other.
Speaking to KTLA Tuesday, Jon Prince reiterated that the suspect — who has not been named by authorities — was his daughter’s boyfriend.
Prince said that after he and his wife separated a few years ago, a court awarded him full custody of Cadence; however, she expressed a desire to live with her mother in Illinois, and despite Jon’s reluctance, he agreed to her wish.
Jon stated that Cadence, a junior at an O’Fallon-area high school, met her 18-year-old boyfriend while they were both students there. The couple had been together “for a while” before breaking up, but they had recently started dating again about a month ago, he told KTLA.
Things took a turn on Sunday evening when Cadence told her mother she would be going out with her boyfriend and would return later, but she never came home.
According to Jon, detectives with the O’Fallon Police Department told him that after the stabbing, the boyfriend called his grandparents — who are said to be his legal guardians — and told them of what happened; the grandfather then called law enforcement.
In the wake of the tragedy, Jon Prince now has to travel to Illinois to bury Cadence, who was born in Southern California and lived in Redlands. A fundraiser set up to help alleviate the costs of laying her to rest states that she leaves behind an 11-year-old sister.
“This wonderful girl was so smart and had the potential to do anything she set her mind to,” the fundraiser reads. “She was so happy, creative and ready to take on the real world.”
Click here to donate.