NEED TO KNOW
- Kylee Monteiro sent an ominous message to her sister on Aug. 6, a day before she disappeared
- Nearly two weeks later, her boyfriend Gregory Groom was arrested on a murder charge
- Monteiro was 11 weeks pregnant when she disappeared, according to her family
A pregnant Massachusetts teen whose remains were found nearly two weeks after her disappearance had reportedly given her family a lead on who to investigate if she died.
Kylee Monteiro, 18, disappeared from Rehoboth, Mass., on Aug. 7, according to a statement from the Rehoboth Police.
Monteiro was nearly three months pregnant at the time, her family said, as previously reported by WCVB and WBZ. She had told a friend — one of the last ones to see Monteiro alive — that she was not feeling safe.
“She was like ‘I don’t feel safe right now something’s not right,'” the friend reportedly said, per WCVB.
On Tuesday, Aug. 19, police found her remains in her boyfriend Gregory Groom’s home, and arrested him, the Bristol County District Attorney’s office announced, per The Herald News, NBC Boston and WCVB.
The investigation revealed that she had texted her sister on Aug. 6 about an altercation she had with Groom, claiming her phone was low on battery — and leaving a hint at who may be responsible if something happened to her.
“He threw me on the ground, pulled my hair, strangled me,” she said, according to Assistant District Attorney Jason Mohan, The Herald News, NBC Boston and WPRI reported.
“My phone is at 4% and if I die, it was Greg’,” she reportedly said, authorities told the court on Wednesday.
Authorities said they eventually found human remains in Groom’s residence and he allegedly confessed to stabbing Monteiro several times before burying her, per The Herald News, WPRI and 10 WJAR.
“The stab wound to her chest actually broke the blade off,” Mohan said in court on Wednesday.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Monteiro’s family to assist with funeral costs.
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Groom has been charged with murder, assault and battery on a pregnant victim, assault and battery on a family or household member and aggravated witness intimidation in connection with Monteiro’s killing, 10 WJAR, The Herald News and WCVB reported, citing authorities.
At his arraignment, Groom pleaded not guilty to the charges, per The Herald News, WCVB and 7 News.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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