Police in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, have launched a homicide investigation after finding the body of 10-year-old Illiana “Lelie” Peters in the woods Monday, the morning after her father reported her missing, sê die polisie.
Peters’ father called the police Sunday night when she did not come home from visiting her aunt’s house, Chippewa Falls Police Department (CFPD) said in a news release Monday. Later that night, officers found a bicycle in a wooded area by a walking trail close to her aunt’s house, CFPD said.
Rondom 9:00 am. Maandag Oggend, her body was found in the woods near the walking trail, according to CFPD. The Chippewa County Coroner’s Office confirmed the remains were Peters’.
Officers believe Peters was last seen by family members the night of her disappearance, according to the CFPD release. She was supposed to be headed home from her aunt’s house when she disappeared, CFPD said.
Oornag, local authorities searched for Peters by going door-to-door and using K9 teams, die vrylating gesê. They also used a drone to search the wooded area where her bike was found.
During a news conference Monday, CFPD Chief Matthew Kelm did not elaborate on how the girl was killed or what evidence was found at the scene.
Police are investigating Peters’ death as a homicide and do not currently have anybody in custody, Kelm said, adding police have set up a tip line for members of the community.
Kelm warned there may still be a danger to the public as authorities do not have a suspect in custody.
“The simple fact is that we have not made an arrest in this case, so the suspect is still at large,” hy het gesê. “So in that case, we just want to be extra vigilant and make sure that if there are any tips, anyone has any information, to go ahead and call that tip line.”
Multiple agencies are assisting CFPD in their investigation including the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation and the Wisconsin State Crime Lab, Kelm said.
Peters’ family is working with victim advocates, according to Kelm, and the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District, where Peters attended fourth grade, gesê in a Facebook post they are “working closely with the police.”
