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Girl, 16, fatally stabbed on day of prom at Conn. high school

Police say Maren Sanchez, 16, was stabbed in the neck by a fellow student at Jonathan Law High School in Milford, Conn. Police are investigating whether a dispute over the prom led to the stabbing.
Was Conn. teen fatally stabbed over prom date choice? 02:10

MILFORD, Conn. - Just hours before her junior prom, a 16-year-old girl was stabbed to death inside a Connecticut high school Friday morning. Police said that a 16-year-old boy has been taken into custody.

CBS New York reports that a boy stabbed Maren Sanchez because she wouldn't go to Friday night's prom with him, according to a student at the high school. Police have not confirmed that information.

Emergency responders were called to Jonathan Law High School in Milford, part of New Haven County, just after 7 a.m. Friday to aid the victim. Sanchez was taken to Bridgeport Hospital where she later died, according to Police Chief Keith Mello.

"Our investigators are conducting a large number of interviews and looking at other measures as well to determine not just why this happened, but how it happened," Mello said.

Superintendent Elizabeth Feser said everyone at the high school is "obviously devastated by the loss of one of our students," adding that Sanchez was well-liked by her peers and teachers.

The name of the arrested 16-year-old has not been released because of juvenile offender laws. Police told CBS New York that the

marensanchez2.jpg
Maren Sanchez is seen in the dress she planned on wearing to her prom. CBS New York
stabbing was an isolated incident and the school is safe, though students have been released for the day.

"This is a difficult day for Milford. It's an even more difficult day for the Jonathan Law High School Community," said Mello. "Anytime there is a death, it's tragic. It's especially difficult when it's a young person, like we see this morning."

According to the station, the school's prom has been canceled.

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