TOOMBS CO., GA (WTOC) -
The memorial at Toombs County High school continues to
grow with messages remembering 15-year-old Courtney Wilkes.
Wilkes was murdered in Walton County, Fla., near Panama
City, Fla., where her family was vacationing.
"Courtney was one of those people you could tell
anything to and she would never go back and tell anyone else. She was pure and
just an angel," friend and soccer teammate Madison Lynn said.
Wilkes was a star soccer player on the school team and
also at the top of her class.
"This past year we became really good friends. I
trusted her. She was sweet and didn't deserve this," classmate Cody Down
said.
The Walton County Sheriff says Wilkes' mother reported
her missing at 4 p.m. Thursday.
She was last seen going for a walk with 21-year-old
Steven Cozzie, a resident of the area near Seagrove Beacn.
By 5:30 p.m., the sheriff says her body was found.
And by 6 p.m., deputies arrested Cozzie for the
murder.
The sheriff says Cozzie is showing no remorse and he is
seen smiling in his mugshot.
Officials say he violently killed the 15-year-old
within just 500 yards of where she and her family were staying.
He was denied bond.
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