A teenager is facing accusations of brutally murdering her mother after her father uncovered a chilling entry in her diary.
Mihaela "Bella" Gabriela Sorescu, 16, and Abigael "Jay" Paige Flanagan, 17, are both facing first-degree murder charges after the body of 47-year-old Andreea Mottram was discovered inside a VRBO property in Washington City, Utah, on March 23.
Mottram, originally from Romania, had been stabbed 14 times. Her body was found by cleaning staff inside the rental home, Too Fab reported.
Sorescu, the victim’s daughter, and Flanagan were charged on Friday (April 4) in Utah’s 4th District Court with first-degree felony murder, second-degree felony obstruction of justice, and second-degree felony theft of a vehicle.
Under Utah law, both teens will be tried as adults. They are currently being held in the Dixie Area Detention Center.
According to unsealed court documents reviewed by KSTU, Sorescu’s father tipped off investigators after finding his daughter’s diary.
In it, she had allegedly written back in November "how much she hated her mother and wrote that she wanted to kill her".
Inside the VRBO where Mottram was stabbed, police uncovered several pieces of evidence, such as phones belonging to both teens, Mottram’s purse and ID found submerged in a toilet, and multiple knives - one of which had been “washed off” but still carried “trace amounts of blood".
Law and Crime shared that investigators also found a pair of pants “crumpled up in a ball” in a bathroom, which had bloodstains on both legs. A “bloody imprint of a knife blade” was visible on the left leg - a size that detectives believe matches Sorescu.
After the murder, both girls were labeled “persons of interest” and tracked down in Los Angeles County, California. They were later extradited back to Utah.
Police learned that Sorescu had spent the last three years in a Washington County residential treatment facility and had a documented history of violence and self-harm.
Flanagan had also been in treatment for at least a year before being removed by their parents, although it remains unclear if they were ever placed in the same facility.
Per KSTU, detectives think Mottram traveled to Utah with Flanagan to visit Sorescu at her facility.
Before that, on March 20, Mottram had rented a vehicle in Las Vegas while accompanied by two juveniles, presumably Sorescu and Flanagan. Authorities allege the teens stole that same vehicle after the killing and drove it back to California.
The late mother was known as a dedicated social worker and activist who split her advocacy between the U.S. and Romania.
She co-founded the Chicago-based ARCHER (American Romanian Coalition for Human and Equal Rights) and another organization supporting autistic individuals in Romania.
"It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the loss of our beloved Andreea Mottram, a fierce advocate, a compassionate leader, and a dear friend to so many within our community," ARCHER said in a statement shared with Fox News.
"Like many of you, we are still in shock at this heartbreaking news. Andreea’s dedication to justice, equity, and human rights was not just a mission- it was the very essence of who she was," they added.
Mottram’s advocacy work was rooted in personal experience, as her two sons are on the autism spectrum. Sorescu was adopted by Mottram later on, per reports.
A GoFundMe has been set up by Mottram’s loved ones to assist with her funeral costs.
"As we say our goodbyes, Andreea’s family is also facing the unexpected weight of funeral expenses and flight costs for loved ones traveling from Romania," the page read. "Every gesture matters. No amount is too small. Let’s carry Andreea’s spirit forward- with generosity, compassion, and unity."
Our thoughts are with Mottram’s' family and friends at this time.