Police arrested the cousin of a 14-year-old girl who was viciously assaulted in her Bucks County, Pennsylvania, home on Friday for the theft of two guns that belong to the victim’s father.
According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, Colin Haag, 20, was taken into custody Monday on gun theft charges and is considered a suspect in his cousin’s murder.
Autumn Bartle, 14, was found by her parents around 6:30 p.m. on Friday, stabbed and shot in their Bristol Township residence. Fox 29 reports that Haag had also lived there for the past decade, though he was not home when the Bartles made their tragic discovery.
Autumn was brought to St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia for medical care, but sadly succumbed to her injuries Monday morning.
After the attack, Autumn’s father Michael Bartle noticed that two pistols were missing from his second floor bedroom storage. When police located Haag on a roadside at 10 p.m. on Friday evening, he was in possession of the two missing guns and appeared to have shot himself in the neck—though he survived.
The DA’s statement notes that Haag was brought to Jefferson Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound and charged upon his release. At a Monday arraignment, he was given one count of theft by unlawful taking or disposition, which is a second-degree felony.
The family set up a GoFundMe page Sunday to raise money for funeral and medical expenses.
“Unfortunately we were told that Autumn will eventually lose her fight,” George Bartle, Autumn’s uncle, wrote.
Haag is being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 bail while he awaits an April 11 preliminary court hearing. Authorities have not released a possible motive in connection with the killing.
Anyone with any information regarding Autumn’s death is urged to contact Bristol Township Police at: Dispatch (215.785.4040), Crime Tip Line (215.788.8289). Callers can also contact Detective Tim Fuhrmann (267.812.3049).
[Feature Photo: Colin Haag and Autumn Bartle/Police Handout, GoFundMe]
