# Four teens are charged with murder after boy, 15, calls mom moments before he’s found shot dead in abandoned home

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/four-teens-are-charged-with-murder-after-boy-15-calls-mom-moments-before-hes-found-shot-dead-in-abandoned-home/
- Published: 2026-11-09T01:31:28+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T01:49:44+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16276027/teens-murder-boy-mom-shot-dead-abandoned.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Austin Payne, 15, was found shot dead in an abandoned Albany apartment.
- His mother tracked his phone after he failed to return home.
- Four people, including three teenagers, have been arrested.

## Summary

Austin Payne, 15, was found shot dead in an abandoned apartment in Albany, Georgia, after his mother tracked his phone when he did not come home. Four people, including three teenagers, have been arrested on suspicion of murder as police investigate what happened.

Payne called his mother at about 8pm on Halloween night, saying he had been shot and needed help, but she thought he might be joking because of earlier remarks. CCTV showed six people heading towards the building at about 7.35pm and someone leaving through a window around 20 minutes later. Witnesses told police armed people demanded belongings before shots were fired; investigators say a handgun photo Payne had recently posted online may have been a motive. The arrested suspects are aged 15, 15, 16 and 22.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.