An 18-year-old Florida woman who was once reported missing from her home has now been arrested in connection with a deadly shooting in North Carolina, a case that has left one family grieving and a community searching for answers.

Gracie Elizabeth Faye Landa, first reported missing from Tampa in June 2023 when she was just 16, was taken into custody on Aug. 18. Authorities say she is linked to the killing of 23-year-old Christopher Piedrasanta-Perez, who was gunned down in Durham on May 30.

According to investigators, Piedrasanta-Perez had just finished delivering for DoorDash that night and parked his car near a Durham park. He was sitting with two friends when, police say, two people emerged from the woods and opened fire on the vehicle. More than 40 shell casings were found at the scene, including rounds from a 9 mm handgun and a .223 rifle. Piedrasanta-Perez was shot in the head and died from his injuries. Two women in the car were also wounded but survived.

The scene was caught on surveillance footage from a nearby building. The footage shows two suspects firing into the car before fleeing back into the woods. According to court documents, the shooting could have been the end result of a lover’s quarrel, although Landa’s alleged role hasn’t been fully explained by investigators.

For Piedrasanta-Perez’s family, the circumstances matter less than the staggering loss. His mother, Amalia, told CBS 17 that her son was her “first baby,” a fun-loving young man who was always smiling and who anchored a large family. A GoFundMe page set up for funeral expenses describes him as the eldest of 10 grandchildren, a brother of three, and someone whose “kind soul” and humor brought light to those around him. “Now his absence has left a hole in our hearts,” the family wrote.

Landa’s own story is complicated. When she disappeared two years ago, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children suggested she might have traveled to Durham. She was eventually dropped from the organization’s database, but authorities never announced she had been found—until this week, when her arrest was made public.

Landa appeared in Durham County Court on Aug. 20, where she was denied bond. She is scheduled to return on Sept. 11.

For now, Piedrasanta-Perez’s family visits his grave every day. “Since everything happened, there’s not been a day where I don’t go see him,” his mother said. “It’s just been so hard. We haven’t stopped going.”