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Ethan Nicholas Bastien, 21, of Allentown, has been in custody since Monday, Oct. 2, city police said.
Investigators claim Bastien was the only other person at 2010 W. Green St. when Cartagena was found with a gunshot wound to the head around 5:30 a.m. that morning.
Bastien allegedly called 911 and said that the 18-year-old had shot herself. She died from her wounds at the hospital on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
The Lehigh County Coroner's Office has ruled her death a homicide.
Court records show Bastien was denied bail during his arraignment on Tuesday, Oct. 10. He is scheduled to return for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 20.
In a GoFundMe post, Cartagena's mother Dolores said her daughter had just turned 18 in August.
"(She) had so many goals, dreams, and plans for herself and her future, just stepping into becoming a young adult," her mom wrote.
"I want to give her the best service and arrangements because my baby didn’t deserve this cruel and inhumane act to have taken her life away."
Cartagena was the eldest of five children, leaving behind three sisters and a brother, her mother said.
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