A juvenile suspect is now in custody with the Chippewa Falls Police Department in relation to its investigations into the killing of Lily Peters. The body of the 10-year-old was uncovered in the woods in Wisconsin after her father reported her missing.
Per CNN, the police have not yet released the name of the juvenile suspect, but Police Chief Matthew Kelm said that the person "was known to the victim." The chief also refused to elaborate if criminal charges were filed, pending further investigations.
It comes after the Chippewa Falls Police Department posted a notice to parents that patrols will be heightened at drop-off and pick-up points in schools across the county due to Peters' disappearance on Sunday, April 24. Kelm said that the girl did not come home, as expected, during dinner after she visited her aunt on North Grove Street, which was supposed to be just a six-minute walk from their house.
After a search, the police found a bicycle by the walking trail near a brewery parking lot. The cops went door-to-door in the hopes of locating Peters, while drones and K9 units were also used in tracking the missing girl. By Monday morning, April 25, the cops found Peters' body in a wooded section of the walking trail.
Community Reacts to Death of Lily Peters
Peters was a fourth-grade student from Parkview Elementary School, where students and staff alike have placed flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals as a memorial to the 10-year-old.
Neighbor Jeremy Machnik said it scares him to think they live just around the block from the crime scene and were likely having dinner when the incident happened. He said that he last saw Peters riding her bike up and down the street with her cousins and other kids a day before going missing.
He described the 10-year-old as a very kind girl as his kids played with her. The father said that he grew up in the neighborhood all his life, but he had "never heard of anything like this," per KSTP.
Erin McCarthy, a friend of the Peters family, set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe for the girl's funeral cost. After learning of Peters ' death, more than a hundred people also came by the Valley Vineyard Church in the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District said it would guide students, especially from Parkview Elementary School, to process this tragedy. The teachers have been advised to assure the kids that school safety is paramount to the community and the police.
The school district is also encouraging the students to write letters or draw art if it will help with understanding their grief. Individual support from Cardinal Care counselors will also be provided to students or even staff members who may need it.
The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District will not make a formal announcement since they do not have the correct information. They will await the law enforcement's updates but suggested that parents talk to their children about what happened to Peters.
Petition for a "Lily Alert"
Meanwhile, Eric Henry, a concerned Chippewa Falls father, started a petition on Change.Org for authorities to create a "Lily Alert" for cases that do not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert. Henry said that, as a father, he could not imagine the emotions parents feel when the police cannot disseminate the information about their missing kids due to criteria.
The police issue an Amber Alert when they have the exact description of the child in danger, the suspect's descriptions, and the vehicle. The Chippewa Falls Police Department could not issue the alert since they still did not have a suspect in the early hours of the investigation.
As of press time, the Lily Alert petition has received nearly 40,000 signatures.
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