Police have charged a blood relative in the death of slain Wilkes-Barre teen La’Niyah Clark.
La’Niyah’s biological aunt, Bobbiejo Etzel, 37, is accused of actively hiding La’Niyah before holding a plastic bag over her head and suffocating her, Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said.
La’Niyah, then 14, was reported missing by her family on Jan. 17.
Police have determined that Etzel killed La’Niyah on Feb. 11, the DA said.
He said La’Niyah was being restrained in a closet and abused before Etzel killed her.
“The defendant was paranoid that she would be found with LaLa and go to jail,” he said of Etzel.
She is to be charged with an open count of homicide, and Sanguedolce said investigators believe it is a first-degree homicide case.
She also is to be charged with kidnapping and abuse of a corpse, the DA said.
“The investigation is ongoing. There are people that are under investigation,” Sanguedolce said, adding that he could not elaborate.
Etzel is to be arraigned later today.
A large photo of La’Nyiah ‘Lala’ Clark with angel wings was set out for Saturday night’s vigil in Wilkes-Barre.
PFA filed in January
The teen, who was deaf and wore two hearing aids, was adopted by Antoine Clark and Ameerah Woods in 2020 and lived with them in South Wilkes-Barre.
Investigators have said she had a history of running away, and at one point “fled from her home to her aunt,” Etzel.
A Protection from Abuse (PFA) order issued by the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas on Jan. 13 directed Etzel not to have contact with La’Niyah, investigators said in March.
La’Niyah was “understandably” upset by that order, Sanguedolce said.
The DA said Etzel made false statements to police and on social media during the process.
Sanguedolce said information about La’Niyah was entered into the National Criminal Information Center database on Jan. 17.
Investigators followed numerous leads as part of the investigation, Sanguedolce said, including making contact with Etzel.
He also said there were 17 search warrants filed in the case and hours of surveillance video reviewed that helped track the path Etzel allegedly took to dump La’Niyah’s body.
“The work that was done in this case was second to none,” Sanguedolce said, acknowledging criticism of the process, including on social media.
“No one in that room thought that this was just any case,” the DA said of the investigators he worked with on the case.
“Justice of course is not measured by speed but by results,” Sanguedolce said of the process that went into the investigation.
“The detectives live daily with the horrors of this case,” Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown said, critizing “falsehoods” spread on social media about the case.
Etzel and her mother also made false statements to police when questioned, Sanguedolce said.
Etzel transported La’Niyah’s body in a plastic tote to an area off Thayer Street where she dumped the remains, the DA said.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.