AUSTIN (KXAN) — Authorities arrested a 17-year-old girl this week and accused her of making online threats against a northeast Austin elementary school, according to the suspect’s arrest affidavit.
The FBI received a tip about an Instagram user, later identified as 17-year-old Giana Castillo, “making concerning statements online… regarding the planning of an active shooter event,” at Graham Elementary School. FBI agents tracked the IP address of the account to Castillo.
While analyzing the account, investigators found “the user had an active interest with previous active shooters and posted concerning statements,” according to court documents. The affidavit also stated she planned to kill her family members before going to the school’s campus.
The arrest document indicates Castillo attended Graham Elementary School from 2013-2017.
According to court documents, “AISD was notified of the threat to one of their elementary schools which caused an emergency response.”
Castillo was arrested Tuesday night, court documents said.
Due to the threat, AISD added increased patrols at the Graham Elementary School campus. Castillo faces one charge of making terroristic threats. This is a third-degree felony.
Online court records show her bond was set at $100,000. According to inmate records, she is currently not in custody in the Travis County Jail.
KXAN has reached out to Castillo’s attorney and will update this story when we get a response.
The Austin Independent School District sent a letter home to parents stating that the Austin ISD Police were contacted by the FBI “about an investigation into an online threat that was made toward our school. The FBI had already located the suspect and made the arrest before the start of our school day… While we understand there were plans to cause harm, our local law enforcement was able to intervene swiftly before any plans could more fully develop.”
The school will hold a meeting Monday to discuss safety protocols, according to the letter.
Additional comments from the district and law enforcement are expected later Friday.