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Police Name Ex-Boyfriend as Person of Interest in Avondale Teen’s Killing, In Custody on Unrelated Charges

Investigators continue to seek public tips in an active homicide probe.

Overview

  • Avondale Police identified 18-year-old Emilio Andrew Rivera as a person of interest in the Nov. 8 shooting death of 17-year-old Rhiana Kemplin.
  • Rivera is jailed on charges unrelated to the homicide, and police have not disclosed the nature of those charges or announced homicide counts.
  • Kemplin was shot at an apartment complex near Rancho Santa Fe Boulevard and McDowell Road and died at a hospital the same day.
  • Police asked anyone with information to call 623-333-7000, and the department has said there is no broader threat to the public.
  • Friends remember Kemplin as an Agua Fria High School senior and band member with cosmetology ambitions, while a family GoFundMe says she was shot while sleeping and a neighbor reported hearing two gunshots and screaming.