Girls plotted attack at Florida school, planned to leave body parts at entrance, police say

BARTOW, Fla. — Two students at Bartow Middle School came to school with knives and planned to attack students Tuesday, according to the Bartow Police Department.

The school resource officer was alerted to a complaint about armed students around 1:30 p.m. Police said the girls allegedly planned to kill as many as 15 students.

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School staff found the two girls in a bathroom during class time prior to carrying out their plans, police said.

The two girls were arrested and removed from campus, police said.

No one was hurt in relation to the incident.

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Police said school staff initially caught wind of the possible plot Monday when a student told a teacher that one of the suspects said not to come to a part of the school Tuesday.

In response, multiple Bartow police officers and Polk County deputies were on campus Tuesday.

After first period, the mother of one of the suspects received a notice from the school that her daughter had not shown up for second period. Her mother called the school and said her daughter had been dropped off that morning, according to police.

Upon receiving that call, the principal organized school staff and law enforcement to conduct a search of the school.

The school's assistant principal found the girls in a bathroom in the 500 building "with a goblet," police said.

The girls were brought to the principal's office and one was asked to empty her pockets. When she did, school staff found a paring knife and a sharpener, police said.

Staff asked the girl why she had a weapon, and she said she and the other girl were plotting to attack and kill as many students as they could, police said.

Police then searched the girls and found several more knives, including a butcher knife, officials said.

Both girls told detectives they had been plotting to kill at least 15 people and had been hiding in the bathroom to wait for smaller students they could overpower to be their victims, police said.

Police said the girls told detectives they are practicing Satanists.

During a search of one of the girl's phones, detectives said they found a message that the girls planned "to leave body parts at the entrance" and then kill themselves.

Bartow Police Department detectives are partnering with the Polk County School Board to investigate this incident further.

Cox Media Group