Member Since: 3/2/2008
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Mid-Missouri 9-Year-Old Girl Murdered by 15-Year-Old Girl
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ST. MARTINS, MO. -- Police found the body of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten who went missing Wednesday night.
The body was found near the wooden area of Elizabeth's home.
Physical evidence and written evidence led police to develop a person of interest. Police interviewed the person of interest, a older teen, who then led police to Elizabeth's body.
Police have the teen in custody. The teen lives in the area and was acquainted with Elizabeth, but did not know the family.
Cole County Sheriff Greg White said that it could be a week before the charges will be filed because of a mandatory review period.
A search crew of 70 people was on the ground in addition to 70 law enforcement officers on Friday. Officials said the Friday morning search was more "pin-pointed and directed," than it was Thursday. Also, the Missouri Highway Patrol used a helicopter with infrared imaging equipment to assist with the search.
When Olten was reported missing Wednesday evening just after 6 p.m., authorities learned that she had a cell phone with her.
Investigators worked with the phone carrier AT&T to send “pings” to the phone in an attempt to locate it. The “ping” put the cell phone in the woods behind Elizabeth’s home. However, by Thursday afternoon, the pings were no longer working. Police believe that the phone battery had died.
The cell phone was found near Elizabeth's body.
White also said the department got some phone records back from Elizabeth's cell phone and investigators went through those.
A 24-hour tip line was established at (866) 362-6422. White said the tip line got calls overnight, but he wouldn't say if any leads have come from it
At the time she was reported missing, Olten was believed to be wearing a pink T-shirt with a darker pink vest and blue jeans with pink ribbons on them.
Elizabeth’s aunt, Vicki Olten, said during the search the family didn't believe that the 9-year-old wandered off on her own because the girl is afraid of the dark. She believes the fourth grader was abducted.
The response by local residents to help with the search was tremendous. On Thursday, 300 volunteers assisted 100 law enforcement personnel in a search of the area surrounding Olten’s home.
“We’ve done far more than the capability we’ve got,” White said Thursday. “And that’s simply because of the level of citizen involvement and they willingness (to help) they’ve had.”
So many volunteers showed up Thursday night that police started to turn them away, like Gene Bauer.
“We’ve got plenty of gravel roads in this area that could have been checked,” Bauer said. “The last thing I wanted to hear from somebody is, ‘Oh, we’ve got insurance concerns.’ Well, people aren’t out her concerned about insurance or liability. They’re out here concerned for that little girl.”
Cole County Sheriff's department worked with the Red Cross to get volunteers.
The strain of not knowing what happened to Elizabeth took its toll on family members.
“I want my niece home, I want her safe,” a tearful Vicki Olten said Thursday. “She’s a beautiful young girl and (has) a full life ahead of her. She does not deserve this. Her family does not deserve this.”
The family worked with the "Missouri Missing" organization to make pins and flyers to hand out.
Police did not issue an Amber Alert when Olten was reported missing because the law outlines specific conditions that must be met before an alert can be issued. Instead, an endangered person advisory was issued.
Without an Amber Alert status, there is no activation of the automatic warning system through television, radio or highway signs.
“We put this out to law enforcement all through the Region F area, which is a 13-county area, and of course, entered it into the NCIC, which covers the United States,” White said. “So the simple difference would be how much the average citizen would get on it.”
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http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/ne...aspx?id=367062
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Cole County juvenile authorities have asked the Cole County juvenile court to charge a 15-year-old with first-degree murder for the death of Elizabeth Olten.
Cole County Sheriff Greg White and Juvenile Authority Director Michael Couty say the 15-year-old is being detained, but declined to give the teen's name or say whether the suspect is a boy or girl.
White will not say how the 15-year-old knew Elizabeth, White simply says the two were acquaintances.
"Because this is a juvenile, we will be, next week, by law filing for a certification hearing," said Couty.
The certification hearing will determine if the 15-year-old will be tried as an adult or as a juvenile. If a judge determines that the 15-year-old should be tried as an adult, more details will be made available to the public.
There is not a date set yet for that hearing.
White says Elizabeth's autopsy was being conducted during the news conference and will be completed today to determine how and when she died.
The results from the exam may not be available though for a couple weeks.
White now says authorities believe Elizabeth was likely killed close to the time dispatchers received the first 911 call regarding her disappearance.
Police found Elizabeth's body, along with her cell phone, deep in the woods near her home in St. Martins-in an area that had been previously searched by officials and volunteers.
"The body was well concealed."
"We had been through that area actually more than once,” said White. “The body was well concealed."
The break in the case came just after Friday's 10 a.m. press conference. That's when authorities received a hand-written note that led them to the 15-year-old suspect; the teen than lead authorities to Elizabeth's body.
"You don't really expect stuff like that to happen in small towns."
"It's just very, very tragic,” said St. Martins resident and business owner John Moore. “You don’t really expect stuff like that to happen in small towns. I mean, I know it does, but you just, you don't want it too really."
Several residents from the small town of St. Martins talked to KRCG while in town for the morning's press conference. One resident said, “I don’t think it was provoked.” On the suspect she said “You’d be very surprised.”
Residents said the 15-year-old is a girl, and lived at the house Elizabeth was supposedly coming home from. However, White will not confirm that information.
White did want to thank the St. Martin’s VFW for allowing the press conferences to occur throughout the nationally recognized case. He also mentioned that the total of volunteers and investigative authorities were between 800 to 1,000 people.
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The Jefferson City School Board will meet Monday morning to discuss handling of the death of Elizabeth Olten. The meeting is at 10 a.m.
Funeral services for the 9 year-old will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 28, 2009, at Concord Baptist Church.
Friends will be received from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at the Houser-Millard Funeral Home.
Elizabeth will be taken in a horse drawn carriage to Hawthorn Memorial Gardens.
Expressions of sympathy may be made to Missouri Missing in memory of Elizabeth Olten.
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http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/ne...aspx?id=367283
For those of you who are too lazy to read the whole thing, basically a 9-year-old girl went missing on Wednesday night after she was walking home at about 6:30 pm from a friend's house along a highway. On Friday, her body was found and they have found out that a 15-year-old girl killed her and is being tried on first-degree murder. The school of the young girl is planning on having more counselors to help confused children.
This is very scary. A 15-year-old murdering a 9-year-old!  Not to mention this happened only a few short miles up the road. I know this town and I can't believe anything like this could've ever happened to it! 
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