POLICE launched a search for Tristyn Bailey when she was reported missing on Mother's Day.
Almost two years after her body was discovered, her classmate Aiden Fucci pleaded guilty to her murder.
Who was Tristyn Bailey?
Born on January 18, 2008, Tristyn Bailey was a 13-year-old resident of Jacksonville, Florida.
Tristyn attended Patriot Oaks Academy and she was a member of her school's cheerleading team.
She was the youngest of Stacy and Forrest Bailey's five children.
Her older sister Brittney remembers Tristyn for her "contagious laugh and the most beautiful smile I've ever seen in my life."
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"Tristyn always made her presence well-known. That's why she shined so bright in cheer and rounded up some of the best friends a girl could hope."
"Tristyn’s thoughtfulness and her caring made her a light to everybody around her," her father Forrest recalled to The St. Augustine Record.
"I loved her cheerful energy. It inspired me every day. Tristyn, our sweet girl, you will be missed.
"I promise you, we will remember you by becoming a little kinder, a little more patient, and a little more compassionate."
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Her grieving mother Stacy said of her late daughter's life: "Tristyn cared deeply for her friends and wanted to have as many friends as she could.
"She could be a silly teenager but have heart-to-hearts with adults when she wasn't an adult.
"She had a drive in her soul to be the best and always give 100 percent to achieve her goals.
"For now, I will follow what Tristyn always said. 'Get it together, you got this mom.' Always and forever my cheerleader and my sweet baby girl."
How did Tristyn die?
On May 9, 2021, Tristyn was reported missing after she vanished from her family's home.
Later that Sunday, police recovered her body from a wooded area close to her home.
As a murder investigation was launched, local authorities concluded Tristyn was stabbed a total of 114 times.
On May 10, 2021, her classmate Aiden Fucci was arrested as the prime suspect in her homicide.
What happened to Tristyn's killer?
On February 6, 2023, Fucci pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Tristyn.
Despite his 16 years of age, Fucci was charged and convicted as an adult
On March 24, 2023, Fucci is expected to be sentenced for Tristyn Bailey's homicide.
He faces a minimum of 40 years and a maximum of life in prison.
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Due to his juvenile age, he is not eligible for the death penalty.
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