Ridge Manor — A hiker discovered the body of a teenage girl yesterday at around 9:35 a.m. on a trail at Cypress Lakes Preserve in Ridge Manor.
Abbriella Faye, who had just turned 16 earlier this month, snuck out of her home around 1:30 a.m. on March 27 to meet someone—only to be tragically murdered later.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office identified Abbriella after an individual approached them while they were working at the crime scene. This person reported Abbriella missing.
Her body was discovered 50 to 100 feet inside the Cypress Lakes Preserve Trailhead, where investigators believe she was killed in a “very violent” altercation involving an edged weapon.
As deputies worked to piece together the case, they went door to door, gathering information. During the investigation, they found that one of the individuals they interviewed had lied about his whereabouts. This deception led them to focus on 16-year-old Cameron Cubel as their main suspect. Cubel, who has a prior battery charge, was subsequently arrested in connection with Abbriella’s murder.
Sheriff Al Nienhuis stated that the evidence suggests this was not a random act and that Abbriella knew her killer.
“We could tell pretty quickly that there was a lot of passion and a lot of violence involved in the particular death,” Nienhuis said.
The grandmother of Abbriella stated on social media, “My granddaughter Abby didn’t have a chance to grow into what you supposed to be. Her ex-boyfriend took that from her.”
Cubel is currently being charged with first-degree murder as a juvenile, but Nienhuis said it is likely he will end up being charged as an adult.
