Abbriella Elliott Was Killed Two Weeks After Her 16th Birthday — Here's What We Know

The obituary for Abbriella Elliott comments on the fact that her existence in this world was cut short far too quickly. She died two weeks after turning 16, during a time when most kids are looking forward to the freedoms that come with getting a driver's license and thinking about college. Sadly, Elliott never had the chance to reach any of those milestones.

Elliott is described as a kind person with boundless compassion whose infectious smile brought joy to all who knew her. The young girl's bright spirit "shone brightly" and "she had an extraordinary ability to make others feel loved and cherished." This is part of the reason why the brutality of her death was so shocking. What happened to Abbriella Elliott? Here's what we know.

According to The Daily Mail, Elliott's body was discovered by a hiker a little after 9 a.m. on March 27, 2025. The passerby was walking along the Cypress Lakes Preserve Trailhead in Florida when they saw what they believed was a body. After calling 911, police arrived and noted that Elliott's body was about 50ft to 100ft inside the wooded trail. Authorities said that what transpired was a "violent attack."

"We could tell pretty quickly that there was a lot of passion and a lot of violence involved in the particular death," said Sheriff Al Nienhuis of the Hernando County Police Department. "So we were relatively confident that it wasn't a random act." Police believe that Elliott was fatally stabbed with an "edged weapon." After speaking with witnesses, they cobbled together a timeline that involved the 16 year old leaving her home at 1:30 a.m. to meet with someone. They quickly landed on a suspect.

Authorities interviewed Cameron Cubel, Elliott's ex-boyfriend, who lied about where he was the night of the murder. Elliott's parents said the couple broke up roughly six or eight months prior to the murder, per KHOU. Cubel has a prior battery charge and will be charged with first-degree murder as a juvenile. However, Nienhuis is speaking with the state attorney about charging Cubel as an adult.

At a vigil held for her daughter, Danyel Caltagirone said Elliott could "put a smile on anybody’s face." Her father, Leo Lind, said that he was sure that wherever Elliott is, she was happy about the turnout, reported Bay News 9. Elliott's family also started a GoFundMe for funeral expenses and have already raised more than $10,000. A trial date has yet to be scheduled for Cubel.