Lily Peters murder: Juvenile boy known to 10-year-old Wisconsin girl arrested
CHIPPEWA FALLS: A juvenile boy has been arrested for the murder of Iliana 'Lily' Peters, 10, whose body was discovered along a walking trail in Wisconsin. Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matt Kelm confirmed that the suspect, who is a juvenile, was known to Peters. Peters' body was found close to the home of an aunt she had been visiting when she went missing, in woodland near Chippewa Falls, northeast of Eau Claire on Monday morning, April 25.
"While nothing will bring Lily Peters back or change what happened, we are very grateful to deliver this news to the family and the community," Kelm said after the boy's arrest. Peters was reported missing by her father on Sunday, April 24, around 9 pm, after she failed to return home. She was a fourth-grader at Parkview Elementary in the town.
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The Chippewa Falls Police department said that they had received over 200 tips about Peters' case, which were "critical" to the investigation. Kelm said on April 25 that her disappearance was being investigated as a homicide. An autopsy is pending after her body and her bike were discovered near Leinenkugel's Brewery. Multiple agencies helped in the search, including K9 teams and drone operators.
Kelm choked up as he announced Peters' death during a news conference. "As you can imagine, our first responders are tremendously impacted by anything that impacts one of our children," Kelm said, "so it is very difficult for them, and the investigators." A letter was sent to families by Jeff Holmes, superintendent of the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District, recommending that their kids walking to and from school be "be picked up and dropped off by trusted family members or friends until further notice. ... Our buildings are on high alert; however, law enforcement has not indicated the need to consider lockdown settings at this time."
Holmes told families that "e feel that it is important for you to know about what we may share at this time. We do not plan to formally announce what happened, as we are not privy to those details — we believe that law enforcement needs to be the ones to decide what or how much to share in that regard. We also believe that parents should be the ones to share and engage in discussion with their children about this tragic event to the greatest extent possible."
"However, we know that some of our students may be affected and some of our students may have conversations amongst themselves and with staff members. ... Cardinal Care counseling services can be accessed by any student. ... Thank you for your kindness and compassion for the student and the family during this tragic time," Holmes added.