Family Of Girl Slain By Teen Files Suit Against Law Enforcement Agencies In NJ

 WOODBURY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The family of a New Jersey girl who was killed by a teenage boy in 2012 has filed a lawsuit against several law enforcement agencies.

The lawsuit alleges that if police had acted properly, there's "a reasonable chance'' Autumn Pasquale would still be alive.

"Law enforcement did not follow appropriate procedures as they should have been trained to do, including canvassing the immediate area. Law enforcement failed Autumn,'' the suit reads.

Autumn disappeared in October of 2012 after receiving a Facebook offer to trade bike parts at 15-year-old Justin Robinson's house just a few blocks away from her home. When she didn't return home that night, her family, then the entire community, set off in a frantic search.

The 12-year-old girl was found dead inside a blue recycling bin behind the home next to Robinson's two days after her disappearance.

The lawsuit claims police should have immediately implemented a child abduction response team after Autumn was reported missing, Courier-Post of Cherry Hill reported. Instead, authorities waited until the next day. The suit also alleges authorities refused assistance from a retired law enforcement investigator.

Spokesman for the Gloucester County prosecutor, Bernie Weisenfeld, said the girl already was dead when she was reported missing.

"Any civil action seeking monetary damages by pointing blame at police is misplaced,'' Weisenfeld said.

The now-17-year-old Robinson pleaded guilty as an adult to aggravated manslaughter in August 2013 and is serving a 17-year prison sentence.

Six municipalities, state police, three Clayton police officers and the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office were named as defendants in the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages.

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