Cops: Teen Fakes Cousin's Abduction, Kills Him

Tiffany VanAlstyne, 19, charged with murder of 5-year-old boy
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 19, 2014 3:37 PM CST
Cops: Teen Fakes Cousin's Abduction, Kills Him
Tiffany VanAlstyne is led to a police vehicle after her arraignment in Knox, NY.   (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Police in upstate New York say a 19-year-old woman strangled her 5-year-old cousin to death, tossed his body into a culvert, and then made up a story about him being abducted, reports the Albany Times Union. Tiffany VanAlstyne is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Kenneth White, who had a twin sister and a younger sister. He was "thrown away like a piece of trash," says Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple. "It is sinful and it is sad."

The kindergartner and his two siblings have been in the custody of their aunt, Brenda VanAlstyne, the suspect's mother, since September, reports the Daily News. Brenda reportedly left their trailer to run an errand yesterday, and soon got a call from her daughter that two men had broken in and taken the boy. Police arrived, issued an Amber Alert, and found his body last night. They arrested the teen after she couldn't resolve several inconsistencies in her story. Her mother says she has bipolar disorder. (More murder charges stories.)

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