A must read: The untold story of the tragic death of 17-year-old Madison Sparrow

Some stories are hard to tell.

Especially when they delve into the dark side of human nature and expose the pain of a family who has lost a child.

But it’s important to try to understand the tragic events in our community and to tell the stories of people who can no longer speak for themselves.

This week, we published a story by reporter Isabel Hughes that revealed the untold story of Madison Sparrow, a 17-year-old whose death rocked the Newark community two years ago.

Through court documents and interviews with friends and family, who were gracious enough to share their painful stories, Isabel reconstructed the shocking murder.

Annika Stalczynski was wet and dirty, mud from the soft clay banks of the Christina River clinging to her clothes. But that was to be expected, given the 17-year-old had spent the last two-or-so hours helping conceal the body of Madison Sparrow — her childhood friend — near the edge of the river under an Interstate 95 overpass.

Stalczynski wasn’t alone on this cloudy October afternoon, where temperatures reached into the upper 60s. Accompanying her, court records detail, was Madison’s ex-boyfriend, 18-year-old Noah Sharp.

Sharp and Stalyczinski had driven to this site together after beating the 17-year-old to death at R. Elisabeth Maclary Elementary School, about 15 minutes north of here. On a woodsy trail behind the school, Sharp told police, they brutally attacked the teen, killing her in just minutes.

This is a moving story you won’t soon forget. Extensively reported and written and presented with care, this is the type of journalism your subscription helps support.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: The untold story of the tragic death of 17-year-old Madison Sparrow