Autumn Bartle was 14 and a beloved eighth-grade student when she was attacked at her home on Sycamore Avenue in Croydon, Pennsylvania, on March 30, 2018. Known for reading, creative writing, and a sharp sarcastic wit, Autumn was found unconscious and bleeding on the living room floor and taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. She died on April 2, 2018; the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and multiple stab wounds.

Investigators focused on a relative who had been living in the house. Twenty-year-old cousin Colin Haag III was identified as the primary suspect; authorities say he attempted to sexually assault Autumn, and that when she resisted he stabbed her more than 80 times and shot her. Bloody handprints on a bathroom window and a bloody print in a notebook later matched Autumn’s DNA. Haag fled with two handguns taken from Autumn’s father but was located hours later in Bensalem, where he shot himself in the neck before officers could take him into custody; the stolen guns and the bloody notebook were recovered.

Haag was charged with criminal homicide, attempted rape, burglary, kidnapping, and firearms violations. Autumn’s family described her as a miracle with a huge heart; the judge at sentencing called the crime’s brutality almost indescribable. Did anyone in Croydon or surrounding neighborhoods know Autumn well enough to share memories or details that might help others remember her life?