Adopted daughter among 2 teen girls charged with murder of woman found butchered in Utah vacation rental

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Two teenage girls, including the adopted daughter of the victim, were charged with murder after a woman was found stabbed to death inside a vacation rental in Utah nearly two weeks ago, according to investigators.

The Washington City Police Department said Abigael Paige Flanagan, 17, and Mihaela Gabriela Sorescu, 16, were charged with the murder of 47-year-old Andreea Mottram. Police said Flanagan also goes by the name “Jay” and Sorescu also goes by the name “Bella.”

Investigators said Mottram was found by house cleaners on March 23 inside a Washington City rental property, with over a dozen stab wounds to her upper body.

Washington County Attorney Eric Clarke told FOX 13 that Sorescu and Flanagan are being charged as adults with murder, as well as car theft, after allegedly taking Mottram’s rented car back to California following the crime. 

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Authorities in Utah have charged two teenage girls in the murder of a California woman who was found stabbed to death days before her birthday at a vacation rental. (Washington City Police Department/GoFundMe)

“At this time, there is probable cause to suspect that the victim was stabbed to death by Jay and/or Bella and that both are criminally responsible,” according to new court documents obtained by FOX 13.

Police said Mottram had traveled to Washington City from California and had been staying in the rental for three days prior to her body being found.

Due to there being no signs of forced entry, authorities initially named both teens as “persons of interest” and believed they were the last people to see Mottram alive. 

When combing through the rental home, detectives located phones in the toilet that officials said belonged to Sorescu and Flanagan, according to documents, along with an ID inside a purse. 

Detectives said the items “appear to have been placed in the toilet and attempted to be flushed in an effort to conceal evidence and/or delay apprehension,” according to the report. 

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The victim’s adopted daughter was identified as one of the teen girls charged with murder inside a Washington City rental home. (KMYU)

Investigators also located several knives inside the home, including one in the sink that had been washed off but had “trace amounts of blood,” according to court documents. 

A pair of pants were also found in the home, with blood on both legs and a “bloody imprint of a knife blade,” and were believed to belong to Sorescu, due to the size of the pants, detectives wrote. 

Sorescu is Mottram’s adoptive daughter, FOX 13 first reported.

Mottram traveled to Utah with Flanagan, days before her death, to visit her daughter, who had been in a Washington County residential treatment facility for the past three years, according to court documents.

Flanagan was previously in a facility but was recently taken out by her parents. 

Sorescu’s father told police that he had found his daughter’s diary in which she had written “how much she hated her mother and wrote that she wanted to kill her,” in November, according to court documents. 

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  The teens were originally named as "persons of interest" as police were searching for the girls after they left the area. The teenagers were later found in Los Angeles County and extradited to Utah. (Washington City Police Department Facebook)

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  The two teen girls have now been charged with murder. (Washington City Police Department Facebook)

The day before her body was discovered, Mottram posted a selfie on her Facebook page, captioned “This is… almost 48.” 

She also posted, “The trouble is, you think you have time,” four days prior to her selfie. 

“The apprehension of both suspects is a crucial step in the investigation,” the Washington City Police Department said. “However, the investigation team is currently following up on many aspects of the case. Again, our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim of this senseless act of violence.”

Sorescu and Flanagan were being held in the Dixie Area Detention Center in Washington County.

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Mottram labeled herself as a “Hospice social worker, Romanian living a Californian life, and mother in three special ways,” according to her about-me section on her Facebook page. 

She was also a co-founder of disability and refugee aid associations in the U.S. and Romania, including the Chicago-based American Romanian Coalition for Human and Equal Rights, according to the organization’s Facebook page.

“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,” the group wrote. “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.”

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com