'Beautiful, Bright, Charismatic,' Mother Says of Slain Wayland Teen

Malcolm Astley, father of Lauren Astley, 18, has been a gracious voice in the media during these days following the tragic death of his only daughter.

He has offered his own memories of Lauren, grieving her loss even " of the parents of Nathaniel Fujita, the 18-year-old suspected of killing Lauren.

Today, the Middlesex district attorney's office has released a statement from Lauren's mother, Mary Dunne of Weston, who has, until now, not spoken publicly about the events of July 3 and 4 that ended so tragically for her daughter.

Calling her only child, "a beautiful, bright, charismatic young woman," Dunne laments that she was "stolen from us all too soon."

“I want to thank the media for respecting my privacy and thank our friends, family, and community for their support during what has been, and continues to be, an excruciatingly difficult time for our family," the statement reads.

It continues, "We may never understand why this happened and how anyone, especially someone who was supposed to care for her, could do this.

"I will wake up daily to the awful pain of her absence, but will also search the sky nightly for the glittering star she has become. We will continue to grieve for the tremendous loss of Lauren and continue to request privacy at this very difficult time.”

Astley's body was found in a marshy area of Wayland on the morning of July 4. On Tuesday, Fujita was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.