Authorities have officially identified the 14-year-old girl found deceased behind a South Wilkes-Barre garage as La’Niyah Clark. While her death remains under active investigation, Wilkes-Barre police and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office have arrested the girl’s aunt in Hagerstown, Maryland. She is currently facing charges of corruption of minors and interfering with the custody of a child, as investigators believe she hid the teen and moved her between different locations after she fled her home in mid-January.
The identification was confirmed through dental records and evidence gathered during a post-mortem examination this week. La’Niyah, who was deaf and wore hearing aids, was the subject of an intense search for over a month before her body was discovered on February 21. Investigators revealed that the aunt was already under a Protection from Abuse (PFA) order specifically prohibiting her from having any contact with the teen at the time they were together.
La’Niyah’s body was found at a commercial garage on Thayer Street leased by her adoptive father. A sub-tenant at the site reported finding the remains, which showed signs of trauma, including cuts and a rope-like item around the wrist. The aunt is currently being held at the Washington County Detention Center in Maryland awaiting extradition back to Luzerne County.