UPDATED: Authorities Charge Cousin For Theft Of Guns, Call Him Suspect In Girl’s Death

UPDATED: Friday, 9:21 a.m.: 

Colin Haag will be charged in connection with  14-year-old Autumn Bartle’s death. Following an arraignment Friday afternoon, police and prosecutors will hold a press conference. 

Original Story: 

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Monday morning that the 20-year-old cousin of 14-year-old Autumn Bartle is a suspect in her death.

Colin Haag, 20, was arraigned Monday evening on charges he stole two guns that belonged to Bartle’s father. Haag lived with Autumn and her parents in the home at 431 Sycamore Avenue in Bristol Township’s Croydon section.

Before District Judge Robert Wagner Jr., Haag was arraigned on a theft of the guns by unlawful taking or disposition charge. The Bristol Township district judge set bail at $100,000 and Haag was transported to the Bucks County Correctional Facility.

As authorities confirmed in a statement, Haag is the suspect in the girl’s death. However, he has not been charged in relation to the violent shooting and stabbing death of his teenage cousin.

Bartle was pronounced dead shortly after 10 a.m. Monday at St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia. She was found gravely wounded after being shot and stabbed multiple times in her family’s home Friday around 6:30 p.m. Her parents arrived home to find their injured daughter and contacted authorities.

Haag, who had previously posted videos of himself rapping online, was not in the home and was located by a Bensalem patrol officer around 10 p.m. He was walking along State Road between Camer Drive and Imperial Court. He ended up shooting himself in the neck and survived. The 20 year old was released from the hospital and to police custody Monday.

As the police investigation into the girl’s assault began Friday, authorities uncovered that Bartle’s father was missing two handguns that he owned. The two weapons were later found with Haag in Bensalem, according to court papers.

Detectives have been working to place Haag’s whereabouts between the time Bartle was found and he shot himself hours later.

Bartle’s uncle put a GoFundMe account raising money for the girl’s funeral online over the weekend. By Tuesday morning, the fundraising effort had collected $12,000 of a $20,000 goal.

Authorities ask anyone with information on the case to contact police at 215-785-4040 (dispatch), 215-788-8289 (tip line), or Detective Tim Fuhrmann at 267-812-3049.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.