New Details Emerge in Local Teen’s Murder

By Jessie Williams

The suspect accused of the murder of 17-year-old Macon County High School student Trinity Bostic will remain in custody.

Hendersonville police have named 17-year-old Fernando Perales Mejia, of Westmoreland, as the suspect after phone records revealed the two were together for roughly eight hours on the day Bostic went missing, June 29, 2024. 

It was four days later that a state worker discovered her remains while picking up trash in the woods near New Shackle Road in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Bostic is said to have been found with a bullet wound in her face. 

Dental records were used to confirm Bostic’s identity.

More evidence, including the possible murder weapon, were discovered during a search of Mejia’s home and vehicle.

Sumner County District Attorney General Ray Whitley says he will file a petition to try Mejia as an adult. 

During a July 11 detention hearing, Mejia’s attorney waived his client’s right to appear in court and to a detention hearing.

The next court date in this case is scheduled for late August.