Police say Katheryn Bigbee was found after a missing-child call late Friday night.
PIEDMONT, Ala. — A 10-year-old girl died after police found her badly injured inside a Piedmont home late Friday, and another juvenile has been taken into custody on a murder charge, authorities said.
The death of Katheryn Aliceanna Brandi Bigbee has shaken Piedmont, a small east Alabama city where police said both children were from the community. Officials have released few details because the case involves juveniles, leaving investigators, school staff and family members to speak carefully as the homicide case moves forward.
Piedmont Police Chief Nathan Johnson said officers were called just before 11 p.m. Friday, April 17, after Katheryn’s parents heard a noise and could not find her in her bedroom. The call first came in as a missing-child report. Officers went to a home in the Asberry church area of Piedmont and found Katheryn inside with extensive injuries. Johnson said the discovery quickly changed the case from a search into a death investigation. First responders treated Katheryn at the scene before she was taken to a hospital. She later died from her injuries. Her obituary lists her date of death as April 18.
Calhoun County Coroner Pat Brown later identified Katheryn and said she died from multiple stab wounds. Police said another juvenile was taken into custody and charged with murder. Officials have not released the suspect’s name, age or gender in public records. Johnson said the suspect and Katheryn knew each other, but he did not describe their relationship. Police also have not released a motive, the type of weapon used, whether the weapon was recovered or who else was inside the home when officers arrived. Johnson has described the case as isolated and said investigators were not treating it as a random act.
The limited public record has left many questions unanswered. Authorities have not said what happened in the minutes before the 911 call, whether anyone witnessed the attack or how long Katheryn had been injured before police arrived. Officials also have not announced whether more charges could be filed, though Johnson has said the investigation remains active. No public court schedule for the accused juvenile had been announced by Thursday. Because the accused person is a minor, many details that might appear quickly in an adult criminal case have not been made public.
Piedmont Elementary School, where Katheryn was a student, said the school community was grieving the loss of a child remembered for kindness, energy and a love of reading. School officials said Katheryn brought “a bright light” to the halls and had a joyful personality that classmates and teachers would remember. The school said grief counselors would be available to students and staff. The statement focused less on the crime and more on the child behind it, describing a student whose death left classmates, teachers and staff mourning in the middle of the school week.
Funeral notices offered a fuller picture of Katheryn’s life. She was born in Anniston on Aug. 6, 2015, and spent part of her early childhood in California before returning to Alabama. Her family said she loved animals, especially cats, and could start singing without warning. She attended Piedmont Elementary School and was remembered as smart, kind and full of personality. Her obituary said classmates were important to her and that she often wanted to make homemade gifts for others. Funeral arrangements were set for Monday, April 27, at Thompson Funeral Home in Piedmont.
The death has carried extra weight in Piedmont because of the size and closeness of the community. The city sits in northeast Alabama near the Appalachian foothills, with a population of about 4,700 people. Its school system, churches and local recreation programs are closely connected. Katheryn’s obituary named members of the Piedmont recreation cheer team and several young friends as honorary pallbearers. That detail showed how the case reached beyond one home and into classrooms, ballfields and family networks across the city.
Johnson called the case heartbreaking for everyone involved and for the wider community. Local residents who spoke with television reporters described shock at the death of a child and sympathy for the family. Adrian Fitten, a Piedmont resident, said hearing the news was painful because of the child’s age and the nature of the case. Police have asked the public to give the family space as the investigation continues. Officials have not announced any broader threat to residents or any search for additional suspects.
The next steps are expected to come from police, the coroner or juvenile court officials as the investigation develops. Detectives are still working to establish the full sequence of events inside the home and determine whether more evidence will change the charge or add to the case. As of Thursday, the public record stood at a narrow but devastating point: Katheryn is dead, a juvenile is charged with murder and many central facts remain sealed.
Author note: Last updated April 23, 2026.