Lily Peters news - latest: Preliminary autopsy shows victim suffered blunt force trauma and strangulation
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A preliminary autopsy has found that 10-year-old Liliana “Lily” Peters suffered blunt force trauma and strangulation with her death being ruled a homicide.
Chippewa County Coroner Ron Patten confirmed the details to The Independent on Thursday, saying that the full autopsy report is not expected for several more weeks.
The preliminary findings support the version of events presented in court on Wednesday, where a 14-year-old boy was held on $1m bond on charges of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual assault, and first-degree sexual assault of a child under the age 13 resulting in great bodily harm.
Prosecutors said the teenager, who knew his victim, led Lily along a walking trail near her aunt’s house where he allegedly punched her in the stomach, knocked her to the ground, hit her with a stick and strangled her before sexually assaulting her.
The teenager, referred to by his initials C P-B, allegedly confessed to police that “his intention was to rape and kill the victim from the get-go” when they left Lily’s aunt’s house together on Sunday.
Lily was reported missing by her father that night and her body was discovered on Monday morning close to the trail.
Reporter reveals ‘eerie’ encounter with suspect
KARE11 reporter Lou Ragouse has revealed he had an “eerie” encounter with the suspect prior to the teenager being arrested and charged with Lily Peters’ murder.
“Now that I’ve seen the juvenile suspect via video monitor, I know for sure that I encountered him earlier while reporting on this story,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
“He answered the door when I knocked -- I asked for an adult who was not home -- I offered condolences and left. Very eerie now in hindsight.”
Autopsy could take several more days
Lily Peters’ autopsy could take several more days to complete as the medical examiner carries out additional testing on the 10-year-old’s body.
Chippewa County Coroner Ron Patten told The Independent on Wednesday afternoon that he expects it to be at least another day or two before preliminary findings are released.
Mr Patten said the timescale is down to the fact that officials are carrying out a full forensic autopsy with extra testing on the girl’s body.
This is standard practice when the death is considered to be a homicide, he said.
The Ramsay County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting the autopsy but Mr Patten said the findings and report will come from his office.
The three charges against the suspect
The suspect has been charged with three counts of:
- First-degree intentional homicide
- First-degree sexual assault
- First-degree sexual assault of a child under age 13 resulting in great bodily harm
Under Wisconsin law, first-degree homicide charges must first be brought in adult court if the suspect is aged 10 or older. The case can then be transferred to juvenile court.
The prosecutor said in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that it would be “premature” to speculate whether they plan to continue to try the suspect in adult court however he added that it is a “very serious case”.
If convicted in adult court, the suspect faces up to life in prison on the charges.
What we know about the suspect
The suspect charged with the murder of Lily Peters is a 14-year-old boy who police said was known to the 10-year-old victim.
Because of his age and the sensitivity of the case, Chippewa County Court on Wednesday ordered that the suspect’s name must not be released and that he cannot be filmed during court appearanaces.
Instead, the suspect is known only by his initials C P-B.
Officials have refused to say if he is related to Lily but have confirmed that they knew each other.
According to prosecutors, the teenager admitted in statements to law enforcement that “his intention was to rape and kill the victim from the get-go” when they left a house together and headed down a nearby walking trail.
Lily was last seen alive at her aunt’s house on North Grove Street on Sunday before she left to return to her home at East Birch Street. Her body was discovered on Monday morning in a wooded area close to a nearby walking trail.
Prosecutors said the suspect told officers he and the victim left the home together and headed along the walking trial.
There, he allegedly punched Lily in the stomach, knocked her to the ground, hit her with a stick, strangled her “to the point of death” and sexually assaulted her.
Police arrested the suspect after carrying out a search warrant at the aunt’s home on Tuesday, where they collected evidence and carried out interviews.
Officials have refused to confirm if the boy lives at the address.
The defence team said in court on Wednesday that he is an eighth-grade student who has lived in Chippewa Falls with his mother his whole life.
The 14-year-old has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual asssualt, and first-degree sexual asssualt of a child under age 13 resulting in great bodily harm.
If convicted as an adult, he faces up to life in prison on the charges.
Suspect planned ‘to rape and kill victim from get-go’
The suspected killer planned “to rape and kill” Lily Peters “from the get-go” as they left her aunt’s house together and headed along a trail, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors told the court that the 14-year-old suspect confessed to law enforcement that it was his “intention was to rape and kill the victim from the get-go when he left the house with the victim going down the trail”.
After going down the trail, the suspect allegedly punched Lily in the stomach, knocked her to the ground, hit her with a stick and strangled her “to the point of death”.
The suspect then sexually assaulted the 10-year-old child.
Her body was found in a wooded area close to the trail on Monday morning.
ICYMI: 14-year-old boy charged with murder after allegedly strangling and sexually assaulting Lily Peters
A 14-year-old boy has been held on $1m bond for the murder of Lily Peters, after the court heard how he allegedly led the 10-year-old along a wooded trail before beating her with a stick, strangling her and sexually assaulting her.
The suspect, who was referred to only by his initials C P-B, appeared in court for the first time for a bond hearing on Wednesday afternoon over the brutal killing which has shocked the tight-knit community of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
Prosecutors said that the teenager admitted to law enforcement that “his intention was to rape and kill the victim from the get-go when he left the house with the victim going down the trail”.
After going along the walking trail, the suspect allegedly punched Lily in the stomach, knocked her to the ground, hit her with a stick and strangled her “to the point of death”.
He then sexually assaulted the 10-year-old child. Lily’s body was discovered on Monday morning in a wooded area close to the trail, after she was reported missing by her father the night before.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Juvenile suspect held on $1m bond for rape and murder of Lily Peters
Suspect allegedly told police he led Lily Peters along a wooded trail where he strangled and sexually assaulted the 10-year-old
Chippewa County mourns Lily’s death
The Chippewa Falls community was rocked by the brutal death of Lily Peters, 10, who was sexually assaulted and killed by a 14-year-old.
Even prior to the discovery of Lily’s body, the community came together to hold vigils and makeshift memorials to grieve with the family.
“I mean, it’s unbelievable that a ten-year-old girl would be killed and it just doesn’t happen in Chippewa Falls and doesn’t happen in the Chippewa Valley,” mayor Greg Hoffman told WEAU13NEWS.
Neighbours are also collecting funds for the bereaved family by giving out stickers and buttons for donation.“Well, I’m not a cop. I can’t do anything. But this is. This is my gift and talent, and this is what I can do. And when I see other business owners doing the same thing. That just tells me I’m in the right community,” Carl Smiskey, who owns the Chippewa Store, said.
Accused, 14, could face life in prison
The 14-year-old accused of killing Lily Peters, 10, could face life in prison if convicted of the allegations.
The accused has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual assault, and first-degree sexual assault of a child under age 13 resulting in great bodily harm.
Under Wisconsin law, first-degree homicide charges must first be brought to adult court if the suspect is aged 10 or older.
The prosecutor told the media that it would be “premature” to speculate whether they plan to continue to try the suspect in adult court although it is a “very serious case”.
Petition to create ‘Lily alert’ set up for missing kids
Neighbour Eric Henry has set up a petition on change.org to create a ‘Lily Alert’ in hopes that communities search sooner in cases of missing children after authorities said the 10-year-old girl’s disappearance didn’t meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.
The petition has already garnered over 59,000 signatures.
“The community is devastated and rallied to start a search group for the missing child. We can do better as a community and must be more proactive,” the statement on the website read.
“There’s got to be a way that we can send based on a radius, a text message to say to the community and let them know, please be on the lookout,” Mr Henry told WEAU10NEWS.
Lily’s death similar to case that inspired Amber Alert, says ex-FBI officer
The tragic death of 10-year-old Lily Peters is similar to that of a young girl from Wisconsin, who was killed 26 years ago, prompting authorities to introduce the Amber Alert.
Nine-year-old Amber Hagerman’s body was found near a stream a couple of days after she was taken from her bicycle in 1996.
Although there were no arrests in the case, it inspired the Amber Alert -- a message distributed by a child abduction alert system that asks the community for help in locating children.
Former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told The Sun that in both instances, the girls were last seen riding their bicycles and their bodies were found in secluded wooded areas.
“The killer’s modus operandi were the same in both cases,” she said.
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