‘She was taken from me’: Family remembers pregnant 16-year-old killed in Buckeye shooting

BUCKEYE, Ariz. — A man is behind bars after allegedly shooting and killing his pregnant 16-year-old girlfriend, according to Buckeye police.

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Family identified the teen as Rylee Montgomery and said she was just about to learn the gender of her baby in the coming weeks. A milestone her mother told 12News, they all had been looking forward to. 

“She was taken from me. It hurts me,” Michelle Montgomery, her mother, said. “I, at least, got to tell her I love her.”

Rylee’s boyfriend, 18-year-old Michael Sanchez, was arrested on Friday morning after allegedly shooting Rylee and her two friends outside of a home near Miller and Lower Buckeye Roads the night before.

Police said Rylee died instantly. Her friends, a pregnant 17-year-old girl and a 22-year-old woman, were taken to the hospital in critical condition. 

“We’ll never get to see her smile, laugh or do anything anymore,” Cody Montgomery, Rylee’s brother, said.

Rylee’s family told 12News Sanchez was the father of the baby she was pregnant with. 

They said she saw the good in everything and everyone, including Sanchez.

“She was full of life, loving, caring. She loved God. She was just a stand-up person,” Cody Montgomery said.

According to court records, Sanchez was on felony release at the time of the shooting. He was not eligible for bond at the time of his initial appearance.

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