Juvenile Arrest Made in Connection to 10 Year Old Wisconsin Girls Death

April 26, 2022 – In Breaking News – CNN

Police in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, arrested a juvenile suspect in connection with the death of 10-year-old Illiana “Lily” Peters, Police Chief Matthew Kelm said Tuesday night.

“The suspect was not a stranger, the suspect was known to the victim,” Kelm told reporters.

“We do not believe there is any danger to the community at this time.” The chief neither released the name of the suspect nor how the suspect and Lily knew each other.

He said the juvenile is in custody. Kelm did not say whether criminal charges had been filed.

(Officials announced a juvenile suspect was arrested in the case of a missing Wisconsin girl whose body was found. Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm said the suspect was “known” to the victim. Iliana “Lily” M. Peters was reported missing by her father after she failed to return home from her aunt’s house. Courtesy of NBC News and YouTube. Posted on Apr 26, 2022.)

The arrest comes one day after Lily’s body was found in the woods, prompting police to launch a homicide investigation.

Lily’s father called the police Sunday night when she did not come home from visiting her aunt’s house, the Chippewa Falls Police Department said in a news release Monday.

Later that night, officers found a bicycle in a wooded area by a walking trail that is close to her aunt’s house and near the Leinenkugel’s Brewery Parking lot, said police.

Around 9 a.m. Monday, her body was found in the woods near the walking trail, said police. The Chippewa County Coroner’s Office confirmed the remains were Lily’s.

(A 10-year-old Wisconsin girl who vanished Sunday night while riding home on her bike has been discovered dead in the woods just blocks from her house. Authorities warned parents to be vigilant and to drop off and pick up their kids from school. The heartbreaking discovery was made Monday morning by investigators who searched through the night for Iliana “Lily” Peters, a fourth-grader in Chippewa Falls. The girl’s body was found not far from her bike, near a walking path. Courtesy of Inside Edition and YouTube. Posted on Apr 26, 2022.)

Officers believe Lily was last seen by family members the night of her disappearance, said the news release. She was supposed to be headed home from her aunt’s house when she disappeared, said police.

Overnight, authorities searched for Lily by going door to door and using K9 teams. They used a drone to search the wooded area where her bike was found.

At a news conference Monday, Kelm did not elaborate on how the girl was killed or what evidence was found at the scene. Kelm said Tuesday authorities received more than 200 tips.

“These tips were critical to solving this case,” he said.

(Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Police Chief Matthew Kelm spoke on Monday as the investigation into the murder of 10-year-old Iliana “Lily” Peters continues. Lily was reported missing Sunday night by her family. Her body was discovered along a walking trail the following morning. Courtesy of FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul and YouTube. Posted on Apr 25, 2022.)

A search warrant was executed at a home where evidence was collected and additional interviews were conducted, Kelm said Tuesday.

“There is still much work to be done,” he said. “Our thoughts continue to be with the family during this terrible time.”

The Chippewa Falls community is mourning the loss of 10-year-old Lily Peters.

Community members helped set up memorials to honor Lily’s life, hoping to show support for the Peters family. The police department asks for anyone with information to call 1-800-263-5906. pic.twitter.com/nE8FsXj8kX

— Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin (@SpectrumNews1WI) April 26, 2022

Continue reading… Juvenile suspect arrested in connection with the death of a 10-year-old girl in Wisconsin

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