CHIPPEWA Falls police have arrested a suspect in the Lily Peters case — a 14-year-old boy who allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled her to death.
At a court hearing where a a $1million bond was handed down for the suspect, District Attorney Wade Newell said of the juvenile male that his intention was to “rape and kill her from the get-go.”
Previously, the suspect was revealed to be a juvenile who “was not a stranger to Lily,” according to police, but authorities did not reveal a name or other details.
“While nothing will bring Lily Peters back, or change what happened, we are very grateful to be able to deliver this news for the family and for the community,” said Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matt Kelm.
The body of Lily Peters was discovered in a wooded area not far from her bike on Monday morning outside the Lienenkugel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls, a few blocks from her Wisconsin home.
Lily was riding her bike four blocks from her aunt’s house to her house, but the little girl never arrived and her father reported her missing.
Read our Lily Peters live blog for the latest updates…
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Suspect to return to court
The suspect in the Lily Peters’ case has another court date set for next month.
He is due back in court on May 5, at 3.30pm.
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‘This was a serious threat’
At the hearing on Wednesday, Judge Ben Lane was quoted as saying: “This was a serious threat to the community, so the court is concerned this could be a further threat if released.”
A $1million cash bond was ordered for the suspect, along with conditions of no contact with juveniles or possession of dangerous weapons.
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‘From the get-go’
Prosectuors indicated the suspect in Lily Peters’ death had planned to kill her prior to the attack, saying, “he wanted to rape and kill her from the get-go.”
They alleged the juvenile punched Peters in the stomach, knocked her down, and strangled her nearly to death before he raped her, according to NBC15.
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Bail conditions
For conditions of the $1million bond, the state also requested that the 14-year-old suspect has no contact with any juveniles and does not possess any dangerous weapons, KARE11 reported.
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Judge issues $1 million bond for suspect
The suspect in the death of Iliana “Lily” Peters appeared in court in Chippewa County District Court via video call on Wednesday afternoon, KARE11 reported.
At the bail hearing, the state asked for a $1 million cash bond for the suspect.
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Suspect revealed to be male
Prosecutors have identified the suspect in Lily Peters’s death only through his initials and as a 14-year-old boy, Fox News reported on Wednesday.
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Autopsy being performed
An autopsy will be performed on Lily Peters and results could come very soon, Fox News reported.
Lily’s remains were sent across state lines to Ramsey County, Minnesota, which includes the city of St Paul, for the autopsy.
It will be performed there and officials in that area said the results would be announced by authorities in her hometown.
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Amber alert not used for Lily
The AMBER alert was not sounded when Lily’s dad reported her missing Sunday night after she did not come home from her four-block bike ride between her aunt’s house and her house.
“That should’ve been activated immediately,” said former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer, alluding to the AMBER alert. “Cell phones should’ve been lighting up.
“All police needed was a description of the missing girl. Once they found her bike, they knew it was foul play and the AMBER alert should’ve been sounded,” she said.
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The AMBER alert
The AMBER — America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response — alert was put in place the same year Amber went missing.
It’s now used throughout the US, DC, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and nearly 30 other countries and is activated in the most serious child-abduction cases.
The alert is most notably sent out as an ear-splitting noise on cell phones — as well as radio, TV and road signs — to grab the attention of people near the suspected abduction and the local media.
As of December 31, 2021, 1,111 children have been recovered because of the AMBER alert, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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Lily Peters compared to Amber Hagerman, continued
Although the pattern was similar, it’s “highly unlikely” that both girls were murdered by the same person because of the length of time and distance between cases, Coffindaffer told The Sun.
Previously, the former FBI agent said the similarities suggested there was “likely” a predator hunting in the small Wisconsin town of Chippewa Falls, but a suspect has now been arrested who was “known” to Lily Peters and is a “juvenile.”
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Lily Peters compared to Amber Hagerman
Amber was the first person former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer thought of after learning about Lily’s tragic death.
Both girls were about the same age when they were found dead after riding their bicycles.
Their bodies were also dumped in secluded wooded areas, Coffindaffer said.
“The killer’s modus operendi were the same in both cases,” she said.
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What happened to Amber Hagerman?
In January 1996, nine-year-old Amber Hagerman‘s body was found near a stream a couple days after she was snatched off her bicycle more than 1,000 miles away in Arlington Texas.
No arrests were ever made in the case, but it inspired the Amber Alert, which is a message distributed by a child abduction alert system that asks the public for help in finding kids.
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Did the suspect know Lily?
Police Chief Matthew Kelm said that the suspect knew the victim at Tuesday’s press conference.
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‘Juvenile’ suspect
Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matt Kelm revealed they had a “juvenile suspect” in custody on Tuesday, a day after the body of Lily 10, was discovered just a few blocks north of her home.
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Parkview Elementary responds, continued
“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.“
The administration went on to say that counseling services would be made available to students as they deal with the tragedy.
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Parkview Elementary responds
A warning was issued by Lily’s school, Parkview Elementary, with the administration recommending that parents refrain from letting their children walk to school alone.
“By now, you have most likely heard about the tragic incident that occurred last night into today, claiming the life of a CFAUSD student,” the school’s superintendent Jeff Holmes said in a Monday statement to parents.
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Who was Lily Peters?
Lily was a fourth-grader at Parkview Elementary School.
Police have ruled her death a homicide after finding the child’s body in a wooded area Monday morning.
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When was Lily Peters’ body found?
The body of Lily Peters was discovered in a wooded area not far from her bike on Monday morning outside the Lienenkugel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls.
It was found just a few blocks from her Wisconsin home.
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Will suspect face charges?
Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm said that the suspect is in custody, but declined to comment on whether or not criminal charges had been filed in this matter.
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Danger to the community?
During the press conference held on April 26, Police Chief Matthew Kelm said of the suspect arrested in Lily Peters’ death: “The suspect was not a stranger, the suspect was known to the victim.”
“We do not believe there is any danger to the community at this time.”
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More memorials for Lily
More people have taken to the streets to put up signs, ribbons, and balloons in memory of Lily.
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Tourists told not to drive down scene
A message that appears to have been originally posted on Facebook was tweeted and asked tourists to “please stop driving down the 400 block of N. Grove st. Down to the crime scene at the dead end.”
That area was blocked off by police.
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Purple ribbons for Lily
Chippewa Falls people flocked to the city’s downtown on Tuesday afternoon to tie purple ribbons to lampposts in memory of Lily Peters.
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How many tips did police receive?
Police Chief Matthew Kelm said in a press conference that authorities got about 200 tips.
He said that tips were “critical to solving the case.”
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Who is the suspect?
During the press conference held on April 26, Police Chief Matthew Kelm said: “The suspect was not a stranger, the suspect was known to the victim.
“We do not believe there is any danger to the community at this time.”
The suspect’s identity was not publicized, nor was it revealed how the suspect and Lily knew each other.
He said that the suspect is in custody and declined to comment on whether or not criminal charges had been filed.
