Pauly Likens Jr., 14, trans girl from Sharon PA, murdered and dismembered after meeting killer DaShawn Watkins on Grindr
Summary
Pauly Likens Jr., a 14-year-old transgender girl from Sharon, Pennsylvania, went missing on the evening of June 22, 2024 after meeting DaShawn Watkins, 29, whom she had connected with through the adult dating app Grindr. Watkins was seen on surveillance footage near the park where Pauly was last seen, and later returning home struggling to move a large duffel bag, leaving a trail of blood. He subsequently purchased a power saw. Pauly's dismembered remains were found at Shenango River Lake on June 25, 2024 — the same day her father reported her missing. The Mercer County Coroner confirmed the remains were Pauly's on July 3, 2024. Cause of death was sharp force trauma to the head; manner of death was homicide. Watkins was arrested on July 2 and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. Pauly's family argued the case should be treated as a hate crime. Her mother gave permission for her name to be shared publicly.
Incident Details
Harms involving the exploitation, abuse, or endangerment of minors, including CSAM and grooming.
Online contact by adults seeking to build trust with minors for exploitation.
Who Was Affected
Sources
1This incident is documented by a single source. Source count reflects coverage in our monitored feeds, not the totality of reporting, and we do not evaluate publication quality.