Latia Henderson, Kayley Ketley charged after stabbed teen found in car boot

Two women who were arrested in the Southern Highlands after a teenage girl was found stabbed in the boot of a car have been identified.

A teenage girl who had been stabbed and thrown in the boot of a car escaped after pushing out the tail light and waving her hand through the hole as she was being driven down a NSW highway.

A number of motorists on the Hume Highway rang triple-0 when they saw the 18-year-old’s hand just before midday on Wednesday.

A nearby highway patrol car pulled over the late model Commodore at Berrima, south of Sydney, and freed the young woman who had minor stab wounds to her knee, thigh and forearm.

Latia Henderson was allegedly driving the car that was stopped by police.

Kayley Ketley, 24 was arrested after a teenage girl was found stabbed in the boot of a car. Picture: Facebook

Latia Henderson, 18, who was allegedly driving and passenger Kayley Ketley, 24, both from Campbelltown were ordered out of the car and arrested.

It’s understood the woman had recently arrived in Sydney from interstate and may have been inside the boot for up to an hour before she was released.

“Early indications are she’s okay, she’s speaking to police,’’ Southern Highlands Police Detective Inspector Brendan Bernie said.

She was treated at the scene before being taken to Liverpool Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Detective Chief Inspector Brendan Bernie. Picture: Adelaide Lang

The woman punched out a tail-light while in the boot of the car.

The women inside the car were taken to Southern Highlands Police Station where they were being interviewed as police attempted to find out the circumstances surrounding the woman’s injuries and why she was in the boot.

Ketley has since been charged with wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, take/detain in company with intent to get advantage occasioning actual bodily harm, take and drive conveyance without consent of owner, drive motor vehicle during disqualification period and drug possession.

Latia Henderson. (left) and Kayley Ketley, 24, have been charged following the incident. Picture: Facebook

Henderson was charged with wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, take/detain in company with intent to get advantage occasion actual bodily harm, take and drive conveyance without consent of owner and a prior offence of never licensed person drive vehicle on road.

Both women were refused bail to appear in Picton Local Court today.

“It appears that all of the people involved are from the greater Sydney metropolitan area and we’re making inquiries into how they came to be down in the Southern Highlands,” the Detective Chief Inspector said.

The woman punched out a tail-light while in the boot of the car.

Ms Henderson’s Facebook page features photos of herself embracing 15-year-old Brayden Dillon alongside a tribute saying “it’s never a goodbye my love it’s until we meet again” a month after he was executed in Sydney in April 2017.

While it’s not yet known what the motive behind the alleged attack was, Det Insp Benie said it was very lucky the incident ended the way it did.

“It’s very fortunate that we found this lady alive. It could have ended quite catastrophically for her but we’re thankful that this ended with no loss of life and no person seriously injured,” he said.

Police don’t think she was bound, however early evidence suggests she was stabbed elsewhere before she was put in the boot. Campbelltown police visited the women’s homes looking for anything relevant to the incident.