PIUTE COUNTY, Utah, Jan. 11, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Piute High School has announced a vigil Thursday in honor of 16-year-old Jacqueline Nunez, the victim of a shooting murder.
A 17-year-old male classmate has been arrested in the case. His name has not been released due to his juvenile status.
The investigation began at 10:12 p.m. Sunday with the discovery of Nunez’s body near a dirt road north of Circleville. The suspect was taken into custody after a high-speed chase.
The vigil is scheduled for Thursday evening at Piute High School, at 555 N. 100 West St., in Junction, Utah. The vigil will take place after a wrestling competition, which begins at 6 p.m.
“Jacqueline Nunez Fund has been set up at State Bank of Southern Utah to help the family with funeral costs and other expenses due to the recent tragedy,” says fundraising information posted on the Piute High Facebook page.
The post also describes Nunez as “A sophomore at Piute High School, an excellent athlete, who lost her life. We are hoping to help her family with expenses.”
Piute County Sheriff Marty Gleave released a statement Monday.
“Our county is devastated, we are a small county, and everyone knows this victim and her family,” he wrote.
“Murders don’t happen where we live and so, as you can appreciate, everyone (from Piute High School students, faculty and staff to friends and neighbors) is in shock and reeling from this tragedy.”
Piute is a rural county with approximately 1,487 residents. The only Utah County with fewer people is Daggett, with about 564 residents. For comparison, Utah’s largest county, Salt Lake, has 1,173,331 residents, according to utah-demographics.com.
Piute High School. Photo: Google Streets
