Layla Jeffery, 13, was ‘somewhat shy’ and ‘well-liked’. A Victorian town is struggling with her alleged murder

Layla Jeffery, 13, was reported missing earlier this month after failing to return home. Photograph: Supplied

In the week after Layla Jeffery failed to return home in the early hours of 4 July, residents in the tiny Victorian town of Donald worriedly shared posts about the missing 13-year-old girl.

One woman, who was receiving chemotherapy treatment in the town last week, wrote on Facebook that she felt “sick” at the thought of something happening to Layla. Others shared a post from police, asking for any information about her whereabouts.