Friends, family, and residents of one central Maine community are still working to digest the information that a 14-year-old girl from Mt. Vernon was killed this week, and authorities are calling it a homicide. 

Maine Department of Public Safety's Public Information Officer, Shannon Moss, confirmed the middle schooler's identity Thursday afternoon.

"The Maine State Police can confirm that 14-year-old Brooke McLaughlin is the teenager found deceased in her home in Mount Vernon on Monday, July 18, 2022. No arrests have been made as of yet. Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding McLaughlin’s death."

Superintendent of Schools for the Maranacook Community Middle School, Jay Charette, posted an announcement on the RSU #38 website Thursday morning, directed at staff, students and members of the community.

"It is with a very heavy heart that I share the news that Brooke McLaughlin, a 7th-grade student from Maranacook Community Middle School and resident of Mount Vernon has passed away.  Although we don’t know the circumstances of this tragic event we are working with various agencies to offer our support in a timely and appropriately sensitive manner to our students and staff given the nature of this tragedy. More information on how and where to access support services will be released shortly.

As a representative of RSU #38, we send our condolences to the family and friends of Ms. Brooke McLaughlin.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family in their time of need as we mourn the loss of their child."

Get our free mobile app

The letter was also posted on the RSU #38 Maranacook Schools Facebook Page, where many classmates, teachers, and townspeople shared their condolences to McLaughlin's family, and the Maranacook community. 

Brooke McLaughlin's body was discovered by her mother Monday evening. After an investigation and an autopsy, the Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Maine ruled her death a homicide.

Maine State Police Investigators are still working on the case, and are asking that anyone who might have information pertinent to the case reach out and contact them at (207) 624-7076.

16 Unsolved Homicides in Maine from the Past 20 Years

Anyone with information about any of these crimes is encouraged to contact the Maine State Police.

More From WWMJ Ellsworth Maine