Local law enforcement is launching a homicide investigation after the body of a 10-year-old girl was found Monday in the woods near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
Iliana “Lily” Peters was reported missing by her father Sunday night when she did not come home from visiting her aunt, according to CNN. She was last seen wearing a purple long-sleeve shirt, black pants, and grey shoes, WQOW reported the night she went missing.
Chippewa Falls Police Department (CFPD) found a bicycle in a wooded area near a walking trail near her aunt’s house on Monday, the department wrote in a Facebook post. Lily’s body was found at 9:15 that morning, and her remains were officially identified shortly thereafter. CFPD is treating her death as a homicide, according to the post.
She was last seen by family members the night she disappeared and was supposed to head straight home from her aunt’s home, CNN reported. Police searched for her overnight, going door-to-door, using K9 units, and a drone to search the wooded area where her body was identified, the outlet noted.
CFPD is increasing police presence around local schools in response to the homicide, and has asked anyone with information to get in touch with them directly. (RELATED: Man Claims He Didn’t Realize He Was Stabbed By British Football Hooligans)
CFPD Chief Matthew Kelm did not discuss the possible manner in which the child was killed or detail any evidence uncovered at the scene during a press conference Monday, CNN reported. Kelm noted that they do not have anyone in custody, and there may still be a danger to the public until the responsible individual is apprehended, according to the outlet.