Maine teen arrested for murder of 14-year-old girl

A teen has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 14-year-old Maine girl who knew her suspected killer.

Brooke McLaughlin, a 7th-grade student at Maranacook Community Middle School in Readfield, was found dead inside her family’s Mt. Vernon home just after 6 p.m. on July 18. It’s not clear exactly how she died, with authorities confirming only that an autopsy revealed her death to be a homicide.

Maine State Police announced Monday that they made an arrest in connection with the case. He was identified only as a “a male juvenile from Maine.”

“McLaughlin and the juvenile did know each other,” according to a police statement. “Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding McLaughlin’s death.”

The teen suspect was being held Tuesday at Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.

Loved ones described Brooke as a “kind, loving, very thoughtful, big-hearted, strong person who loved her family and friends” in her obituary.

Rick Sirois, dean of students at Maranacook Community Middle School, told the Portland Press Herald that Brooke was “super protective” of her family, and described her as “mature beyond her years.

“Brooke was just firm and confident in her beliefs,” Sirois added. “She’d sometimes ask to eat lunch in my office. We’d have casual conversations about life in general, and she was always a pleasure.”

Anyone with information in the case has been asked to call (207) 624-7076.