A grim discovery made on Tuesday has taken a dramatic turn in the Green Mountain State, as Vermont State Police have confirmed that the body found in Troy was that of a missing woman, now identified and revealed to have been murdered. The victim, Kayla Wright, a 29-year-old from Derby, was last seen alive in Troy on Friday before being reported missing over the weekend.
Police discovered Wright's remains inside a large container on a sand bar in the Missisquoi River near Big Falls of Missiquoi State Park, in a shocking scenario that has shook the local community. An autopsy conducted by the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington on Wednesday afternoon confirmed her identity, and the cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the head. While authorities have not made any arrests relating to the murder, three individuals have been caught up in the sweep of a broader federal drug distribution investigation linked to the case, according to Boston.com.
Those individuals, Bryanna Rooney, Thomas Rooney, and Jakiy Tramaine Corey Keith, were arrested on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute illegal drugs following a raid at a home on VT Route 100 in North Troy, where Wright had been staying around the time of her death. Court documents have painted a chilling picture, with Keith allegedly informing police that Wright had been involved in an altercation over counterfeit cash with a person known only as "Kash KD," who then reportedly shot and killed her, as MYNBC5 reported.
The widening investigation has spurred further action by law enforcement, which includes both interviews, and execution of a search warrant at the home of the Rooneys in relation to Wright's death. Amidst the unfolding tragedy, Wright's body was ultimately found inside a toolbox that had been discarded into the Big Falls area of the Missisquoi River. As the community reels from the news, officials are urging anyone with information that could assist the ongoing investigation to come forward and contact the Derby Barracks at 802-334-8881, as the search for justice for Kayla Wright continues.
