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Christian Torres: Police Search For Person Of Interest In Pennsylvania Clown Stabbing After Teen Killed By Person In Clown Mask

By Janice Malcolm
Published on: 03:36 PST, Sep 29, 2016

Update: Police have now clarified that it was Christian Torres himself who was wearing the clown mask and it became a source of controversy that night. The police had previously mentioned that there were differing tales of who was wearing the clown mask that night. The person of interest, Avery Valentin-Bair has been arrested on first-degree murder charges and is awaiting trial.

For those in the Southern and Midwestern parts of America, the summer has been plagued by alleged sightings of creepy clowns trying to lure kids into the woods, If that was not disturbing enough, on Sunday the clown sightings took on an even more sinister angle. Reports show that early Sunday evening a Pennsylvania teen was stabbed to death in an encounter with someone wearing a clown mask and police have still not identified a suspect.

The Pennsylvania teenager who was the victim of the fatal encounter with a clown has been identified as high school sophomore Christian Torres. On the night of September 25, the 16-year-old student of Reading High School was approached by the clown-clad assailant. The encounter turned violent and the boy was killed on his own front porch. Two other persons were also stabbed during the assault but they were treated at the local hospital and have since been released with minor injuries.

It was the eyewitnesses to the violent stabbing who reported that the assailant had been dressed in a clown costume.

The police in Reading, Pennsylvania, have very few leads about the clown stabbing, but according to the Reading Eagle, they have identified a person of interest in the attack. Wanted for questioning is 29-year-old Avery Valentin-Bair who was reportedly at the scene of the neighborhood dispute that got Christian Torres killed at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. Capt. Damond Kloc, who is the head of criminal investigations, has made it clear that Valentin-Bair is not an actual suspect, but is only being sought for questioning about the incident.

The police are asking that anyone who has seen Valentin-Bair or is aware of his whereabouts contact the Reading police at 610-655-6116 or the sheriff’s office at 610-478-6390. The man also has an outstanding warrant for a failure to appear in court on a weapons charge.

The Inquisitr reported that, despite the fact that the community is said to be a close knit one, it has yet to produce an actual suspect to the police in the clown stabbing. Kloc is hopeful that an arrest will be made very soon. The captain said that the investigation is making progress. The autopsy for Christian Torres was originally scheduled for Monday, but was changed to 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the Reading Hospital. Coroner Dennis J. Hess said that the autopsy would reveal the cause of death and the police would issue a statement afterwards, but a statement has not yet been given.

As Halloween nears, many people are on edge about the news of the creepy clown trying to lure kids into the woods and now with a fatal stabbing, the fears have only increased. Some people are taking advantage of that fear. Another Reading Eagle piece revealed that, on Sunday night in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, another clown sighting occurred, but this time an 18-year-old has been charged with the deed. While wearing a clown mask, the teenager had been going around knocking on the door and windows of his neighbors, harassing and threatening them as he brandished an Airsoft toy pistol. Police have issued warnings to the public to cease dressing as clowns for their own safety as well.

The clown sightings began in South Carolina with children being the first ones to report that sweets and money were used in an attempt to lure them into the woods and slowly the witnesses became more credible. Each sighting became more and more troubling even as they began to also become more violent. Though Sunday’s encounter is the first fatal sighting, last week a student in Ohio reported that they were chased by an assailant in a clown mask.

So far, police think this clown stabbing is unrelated to the rest of the clown sightings which happened this summer.

[Featured Image by Reading Police]

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