As stated in the autopsy, conducted by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office, the medical examiner concluded Riley Whitelaw was stabbed a total of 42 times, including wounds to the chest, face, and neck. The medical examiner said several other wounds, which were found on the teen’s arms and hands, were likely inflicted while she attempted to defend herself against her attacker. As reported by The Mercury News, the weapon was determined to be a single-edged knife.
The medical examiner also confirmed Whitelaw suffered trauma to the extremities, head, and torso. A toxicology test confirmed the teen had not consumed any alcohol or drugs prior to her death. Whitelaw’s official cause of death was concluded to be multiple stab wounds to the neck. According to The Mercury News, her manner of death was determined to be homicide.
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As he was present at the scene, and was behaving in an unusual manner, authorities identified Joshua Johnson as the primary suspect in the teen’s brutal death. KOAA reports Johnson’s whereabouts were initially unknown. However, authorities searched his employee locker at Walgreens and found several incriminating items. In addition to a sheath, which they believe belonged to the multitool that was used to kill Whitelaw, they found a slip of paper with Whitelaw’s name, the name of her boyfriend, both of their social security numbers, and their address.
