Police arrest 14-year-old in connection with Wisconsin 10-year-old’s death
The Chippewas Falls, Wisconsin, police have arrested a 14-year-old boy in connection with the death of a 10-year-old girl named Lily Peters.
Fox – Fox 9
Editor’s note: This report contains information about a violent assault that could cause trauma for some readers. Discretion is advised.
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — Law enforcement in Wisconsin launched a homicide investigation into a 14-year-old boy after discovering the body of a 10-year-old girl near a walking trail Monday.
Police arrested a juvenile suspect who knew Iliana Peters, who went by the name Lily, they announced Tuesday evening.
The teen arrested in connection with the death of Lily appeared by video in court Wednesday where a judge ordered him held on $1 million bail. The boy was not publicly identified by name and has been identified only by the initials CPB.
Prosecutors alleged on Wednesday the teen followed Peters out of her aunt’s home Sunday night in Chippewa Falls, then strangled and sexually assaulted her on a walking trail where her body was found the next morning.
During a Tuesday news conference, Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm didn’t say whether the suspect was related to Lily or where the arrest occurred. He said there was no longer any danger to the public.
“While nothing will bring Lily Peters back or change what happened, we are very grateful to be able to deliver this news for the family and for the community,” Kelm said.
Peters was reported missing Sunday evening. She was a fourth-grader at Parkview Elementary School in Chippewa Falls. Here is what we know about the situation:
Lily Peters’ father reported her missing after she didn’t return home from her aunt’s house
Lily’s father reported her missing 9 p.m. Sunday after the girl did not return home from a visit to her aunt’s house in Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm said.
A bicycle believed to belong to Lily was found late Sunday night in some woods near a walking trail. That area is less than a mile northwest from where Lily’s aunt lives.
Lily Peters’ body was found near a walking trail
Lily’s body was found about 9:15 a.m. Monday in a wooded area near the walking trail, police said.
Police said Lily lived in the 50 block of East Birch Street, which is a quarter-mile west of where her aunt lives.
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Police arrested a juvenile suspect Tuesday
At a press conference Tuesday, Kelm announced that a juvenile suspect was arrested earlier that evening. He said the suspect was known to Lily.
But he declined to provide any further information, including the suspect’s age or where they were arrested.
Kelm said he no longer believed there was a danger to the public, indicating he believes the suspect acted alone.
Kelm did say that officers executed a search warrant on an address along the same block where Lily’s aunt lives. But Kelm did not say whether that search yielded anything of value.
14-year-old boy appears in court Wednesday, held on $1 million bail, could face life in prison
A 14-year-old boy arrested in connection with the death of Lily appeared by video in a Chippewa Falls courtroom Wednesday, where a judge ordered him held on $1 million bail.
Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell described the circumstances of Peters’ death: the boy hit her in the stomach, knocked her to the ground and strangled her before hitting her with a stick, then, the district attorney said, “strangling her to the point of death before he then sexually assaulted her.”
The teenager was charged in adult court with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual assault and first-degree sexual assault of a child. If convicted of the homicide charge, the boy could be sentenced to life in prison. He is being held at the Northwest Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Eau Claire.
The boy, who wasn’t publicly identified by police prior to the hearing and was identified only by his initials in court, appeared in court at about 1 p.m. where Judge Benjamin Lane set the boy’s bail while agreeing with prosecutors that the nature of the crime presented a threat to the community.
“The suspect was not a stranger,” Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm had said during a news conference Tuesday. “The suspect was known to the victim.”
Was an Amber Alert issued?
Police did not issue an Amber Alert after learning Lily was missing. In a news release before her body was found, police said the situation did not meet the criteria for an alert, but did not elaborate further.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, there are three criteria for issuing an Amber Alert: the child must be 17 or younger; the child must be in danger of serious bodily harm or death; and the initiating agency must have a sufficient amount of descriptive information about the child or the suspect.
The police department’s initial news release, before Lily’s body was found, did not state she might be in danger of serious bodily harm.
Where is Chippewa Falls?
Chippewa Falls is located within Chippewa County in northwestern Wisconsin, about 100 miles from Minneapolis. Its population as of the 2020 U.S. Census is 14,700. The city is perhaps best known as the home of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co.
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