Teenager Sought in Slaying of Boy in Beach Restroom
Police on Sunday hunted for a teenager who knifed to death a 9-year-old boy in a public restroom, then walked away past the boy’s aunt.
Investigators canvassed the harbor area and volunteers scoured the beach with metal detectors in search of the knife used to kill Matthew Louis Cecchi of Oroville, authorities said.
The Northern California boy was slain on Saturday night while attending a family reunion at a camping area in this quiet town 30 miles north of San Diego.
One witness said the boy’s throat was slashed.
“We can’t find a rhyme or a reason to it,” police Sgt. Tom Aguigui said.
The killer was described as being about 15 to 17 years old, wearing blue jeans and a gray or plaid sweatshirt, according to a police statement. He disappeared into the heavy fog that covered the harbor area where the attack took place shortly before 8 p.m.
“We don’t believe this is any type of sexual assault or robbery. But I really couldn’t tell you what a motive might be,” Sgt. Tom Bussey said.
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