Autumn Pasquale’s family sues law enforcement agencies
WOODBURY, N.J. (AP) -- The family of a New Jersey girl who was strangled by a teenage boy two years ago is suing several law enforcement agencies.
The lawsuit says that police didn't act properly and that if they had, there's "a reasonable chance" Autumn Pasquale would be alive.
The South Jersey Times reports that the lawsuit alleges that authorities should have immediately implemented a child abduction response team, instead of waiting until the next day. It also claims they refused assistance from a retired law enforcement investigator.
Pasquale, a 12-year-old Clayton resident, was killed in October 2012 after she went to a neighbor's home to trade bicycle parts.
Bernie Weisenfeld, a spokesman for the Gloucester county prosecutor, says the girl was already dead when she was reported missing. He says blaming police is misplaced.