Watch CBS News

Police find dead body thought to be missing Mo. girl, 10

UPDATED Feb. 19, 2014 1:43 p.m. EST

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Springfield police say a body thought to be that of a missing 10-year-old girl has been found in southwest Missouri.

Police Chief Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams says search crews found a body they believe is Hailey Owens inside a suspect's Springfield home on Wednesday.

Authorities arrested 45-year-old Craig Michael Wood in connection with the abduction and death of the girl on Tuesday, CBS affiliate KOLR reports. Wood, a coach and teacher's aide at a school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, is jailed on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Wood was arrested late Tuesday in a vehicle parked outside his house. 

Acting on a tip, officers found the suspect’s vehicle at a house in Springfield, Williams said. Investigators searching the house said they found evidence of foul play.

Wood is accused of kidnapping the girl while she was walking near her home in Springfield at about 4:50 p.m. Tuesday.  Police say they believe Hailey’s abduction was random and that she did not know the suspect. She did not attend the school where Wood worked.

Wood pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance in 1990 and was given a suspended sentence after completing court-ordered drug counseling programs, according to online court records.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.