Rumors swirled online about the killing of Bianca Devins with the hashtag #RIPBianca on Sunday before authorities in Utica, New York, confirmed her death.
A man fatally stabbed a 17-year-old girl before posting photos of her body online, where they were widely circulated, police said.
On Sunday, rumors swirled online about the killing of Bianca Devins with the hashtag #RIPBianca before authorities in Utica, New York, confirmed her death Monday.
Brandon Clark, 21, was charged with second-degree murder Monday afternoon, Utica Police Department Spokesman Lt. Bryan Coromato confirmed to InsideEdition.com.
Clark and Devins, who had been dating after meeting on Instagram about two months ago, had attended a concert together in Queens on Saturday night before returning to Utica, police said.
"It is believed that some sort of argument ensued at the venue that precipitated the following engagement between the two," police said in a statement.
Clark allegedly killed Devins before posting photos of her body on Discord, police said. Numerous people who viewed the images called police and Clark also called police, threatening to harm himself, Coromato said.
Authorities found Clark in his car and, as police approached him, he stabbed his own neck with a knife, police said.
He then laid down on a tarp on the ground, and police saw brown hair beneath it. When authorities asked him where the girl was, "the male took self-photographs of himself laying across the deceased female," the police statement said.
Officers were able to disarm him and he was taken into custody. He was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries, which are not life threatening, police said. He is awake and talking with police but has not yet spoken in detail about the incident, Coromato said.
Devins was found beneath the tarp with neck injuries and was confirmed dead at the scene.
By Monday, Instagram had removed images of Devins' body and Clark's Instagram page, @yesjuliet, had been taken down.
"We can confirm that the images distributed of both the victim and the offender's injuries are authentic and occurred at the time of the incident," police said. "We are actively working with the various social media platforms to address the sharing and distribution of these images."
Devins' sister, Liv, paid tribute to her sibling on Instagram Sunday.
"You were the best sister anyone could’ve ever asked for. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for being the best sister I could ever imagine," she wrote, adding, "Rest easy, I love you so much forever and always."
In a statement, the Devins family thanked people for their support.
"We are very grateful for the outpouring of love and sympathy we have received from our Friends, Family, Bianca’s Friends and the whole community. Your prayers help to strengthen us through this difficult time," it said.
"Bianca, age 17, was a talented artist, a loving sister, daughter, and cousin, and a wonderful young girl, taken from us all too soon. She is now looking down on us, as she joins her cat, Belle, in heaven. Bianca’s smile brightened our lives. She will always be remembered as our Princess."
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