WASHINGTON CITY, UT – Authorities in Washington City, Utah, have identified two teenagers as suspects in the brutal killing of a mother at a vacation home last month. The Washington City Police Department named 16-year-old Mihaela Gabriela Sorescu and 17-year-old Abigael Paige Flanagan as the alleged perpetrators of the murder of 47-year-old Andreea Mottram.
The chilling discovery was made by cleaning staff on March 23 at a VRBO rental property. Upon entering, they noted that the garage door was ajar and numerous belongings were inside. Upstairs, they found Mottram’s body, victim of 14 stab wounds, according to court filings.
Law enforcement officers responding to the scene gathered further evidence, including a purse and two phones submerged in a toilet. The phones were traced back to Mottram and Flanagan. Investigators also recovered several knives from the property, one in particular from a sink, apparently cleaned.
In a search of the premises, a pair of blood-stained pants found in the master bathroom matched Sorescu’s size. Observers noted a “bloody imprint of a knife blade” on the leg of the trousers, indicating the potential involvement in the crime.
Further inquiries shed light on the complicated backgrounds of Sorescu and Flanagan. Both teenagers have histories of living in residential care facilities; Flanagan had only recently left one, while Sorescu had been in treatment for several years. Specific reasons for their placements have not been disclosed.
Personal writings by Sorescu uncovered in the investigation revealed significant animosity toward her mother. Her diary entries from November exposed desires to harm Mottram, revealing past violent tendencies and self-harm behavior.
On March 20, Mottram reportedly rented a red Hyundai Kona. This vehicle was tracked through license plate readers, linking it from Utah to Las Vegas, Nevada, and finally to Paramount, California, by the morning of March 23.
Despite being on the run, both Sorescu and Flanagan now face charges, including murder, obstruction of justice, and vehicle theft. Under Utah law, they will be charged as adults, even though they remain unaccounted for.