The Shelbyville Police Department has announced an arrest in connection to the death of 16-year-old Maria Lucas Gaspar. SPD reports that Gaspar was reported missing to SPD on June 30, 2024 by her mother.

She was last seen at her residence on Bridlewood Drive. On July 8, authorities found her body less than a mile from her residence on the side of Old Nashville Dirt Road. On October 10, 2024, police arrested Justin Pickle in Columbia, Tennessee.

He has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death and tampering with evidence. Pickle was arrested by SPD and booked into the Bedford County Jail.