15-Year-Old Charged in Mo. Girl's Death

Teenager Faces First-Degree Murder Charge After 9-Year-Old Girl's Body Is Found

(CBS/AP)  Authorities have charged a 15-year-old with first-degree murder for the death of 9-year-old girl in central Missouri.

Cole County Juvenile Court Administrator Michael Couty said Saturday that the 15-year-old is being detained for the death of Elizabeth Olten.

Police did not release the teen's gender or name.

Elizabeth's body was found Friday - two days after she went missing - after the suspect led police to a wooded area near her home west of Jefferson City. Cole County Sheriff Greg White said Saturday that the girl was found in an area that had previously been searched but she had been "very well concealed."

White said Elizabeth was acquainted with the suspect but declined to elaborate.

The sheriff did not give any details on how Elizabeth died or about the juvenile in custody except to say that the person lived in the area west of Jefferson City.

Police said Elizabeth's body was found just before 3 p.m.

"We were able to obtain some physical evidence and through some analysis of some of the evidence and in all honesty some written evidence, we were able to develop a person of interest," White said. "Once we reached that person and interviewed them, ultimately they led us to where we've recovered Elizabeth's body."

Elizabeth, of St. Martins, was last seen when she started walking home from a neighbor's house on Wednesday evening, police have said.

White said had spoken with Elizabeth's mother and said the family is "deeply grieving."

"I'm a parent, and I know how I would feel. I would simply leave it to you that they are grieving," he said.

Elizabeth's family and friends have described her as a bashful fourth-grader - the youngest of five children - who loved cats but was afraid of the dark and would not normally have gone into the woods. Some of her family members had spent Friday making buttons with Elizabeth's photo, before learning of her death.

"She was a wonderful, happy, shy child. I never saw her argue with her mother, her sister or anyone," said Liza Adrian, the sister-in-law of Elizabeth's sister, who spoke on behalf of the family during a Friday night news conference.

Elizabeth's father, Dale Olten Sr., learned of her death while watching TV in prison, where he is serving a four-year sentence for drug possession, said family friend Nancy Hanks, who had aided in the search.

"On behalf of the Oltens, I guarantee they appreciate this community - all the outpouring of support - they worked hard" searching for Elizabeth, Hanks said.

Elizabeth's aunt, Vicki Olten, described her niece as an "angel" but declined further comment.

Earlier Friday, about 70 people had searched for Elizabeth on horseback, with all-terrain vehicles and on foot while another 70 investigators checked leads, White said. Several hundred people had joined the search Thursday despite a steady rain and rough terrain.

Police focused their search area after they figured out roughly where Elizabeth's phone was located. White said the phone was later found but declined to say if it had turned up evidence.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol searched by helicopter with thermal imaging radar, and the Missouri State Water Patrol checked ponds in the area with sonar.

Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. James Keathley said he wishes the outcome was better.

"It's been quite an ordeal for the last few days. There's a lot emotions involved in this. It's been tough on everybody involved in this case," Keathley said.

David Schulte, who lives nearby, said Elizabeth typically would walk through his front yard about 30 or 40 feet away from the road on her way back home from the friend's house. Schulte said he didn't know Elizabeth well but that she had come through the neighborhood to sell cookie dough for a school fundraiser.

Schulte, who had helped with the search, said the area around where the phone was transmitting signals was about one-quarter of a mile away from the county highway and in the middle of the woods. He said it is easy to get turned around and difficult to hold straight search lines because the terrain is all "ridges and valleys" along with brambles.

"You'd have to want to be back there," said Schulte, before police announced that Elizabeth's body had been found.

Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday.

[com2missoula]

Is this a case of the "choking game"?

[sam-kiley]

by kerrib2 October 27, 2009 9:27 AM EDT
This whole case just goes to show that you never know what people are capable of doing, even kids.
exact...qu'est qui pousserait un adolescent de quinze ans a tuer une enfant de neuf ans..aprés une tentative de viol peut etre qui sait..c'est malheureux...deux vies gachées...
cela dit il reste innocent jusqu' preuve du contraire...au revoir

[fabforty]

I am a mother of a 18-year old girl who was shot and killed by a fifteen and sixteen year old punks!!!!!! She was also five months pregnant... an eye for an eye!!!!!!!! That person needs to be charged and CONVICTED of murder in the first degree!!!!KUDOS

[scoobydob]

I never read so many irrelevent rambling horsesasses in my life. Not even when it's about politics.

[erasmus111]

by stuart-johns2 October 24, 2009 2:53 PM EDT
Yep....CBS needs testing alright. I don't know if you guys have ever seen that warning pop-up on some pages. WARNING: Possible Fraud something something.... You have to log out entirely and then come back in. CBS definitely has problems with this site.


I have been on here 2 years and have never seen that warning. But yes, this site is one screwed up mess. I will post a comment and it won't show up for awhile. Then it will show up, but then it's gone again. You will see other people's post disappear and reappear again. It will say "See all 20 comments" and the next thing you know it says "See all 17 comments". It's pathetic.

[ruger_223]

Well, at least it's not all in your mind. I've noticed the same thing - refreshed the page and can see a post of mine, then refresh a few minutes later and it's gone. Then, it magically comes back again. I don't have a problem with popups from this page, stuart-johns2 probably has some kind of trojan/virus.

[stuart-johns2]

ruger_223

If I do none of my security has quarantined it. I did another full scan today. Nothing. Who knows.

[ruger_223]

It just seems odd that others don't seem to have the same problem. Is this the only site you're having problems with? If you're accessing this site from a shortcut/favorite, you may want to make sure it hasn't been modified by a bad guy, could be a link hijack problem. Deleting all temp internet files/cookies may also help. It could be a simple hack (not trojan/virus) that your software won't detect.

[Al_Iswell]

I'm not so sure the killer is a male. I've never known police to refuse to divulge the gender of the perp, so it's cause for speculation.

Furthermore, because the family is also remarkably close-mouthed regarding the perp I'm left to wonder if it isn't a family relation.

This has been one strange, secretive case.

[stuart-johns2]

Regarding witholding the gender, I had the same thought. I got the distinct sense that it was another female.

[ruger_223]

Yes, from info I found on another site, the person charged is probably a female who lived at the house the victim had been visiting. I'm not saying this is a fact, just information from comments made by local residents.

[kerrib2]

This whole case just goes to show that you never know what people are capable of doing, even kids.

[imnho]

We need a lot ore information before we decide if sociey or parent(s) went overboard. We also don't know yet if the suspect will be ried as an adult.

[stuart-johns2]

Yeah....I believe that's what we all said.

[eelyn-2009]

He is a Juvie, so he will get off easy because this is America and we feel their pain.

[stuart-johns2]

Don't bet on it. At that age and in that State they are more likely to charge him as an adult.

[writer10]

ths...just send them to Colorado, especially if they're a juvie killer - Ritter will let anyone go to make a buck for the state...sick and wrong, sad and true

[askagain]

testing

[stuart-johns2]

Yep....CBS needs testing alright. I don't know if you guys have ever seen that warning pop-up on some pages. WARNING: Possible Fraud something something.... You have to log out entirely and then come back in. CBS definitely has problems with this site.

[docpeter1953]

re: stuart-johns2,

Maybe you should do a little adware, malware, trojan and virus checking on your computer.

I have been on this site daily for over a year and I have never had one of those warnings.

We took parental discipline away by an overzealous and over stupid child protective regime.

[sandy19731]

What does this case have to do with parental discipline?

[ToolMangler1]

"What does this case have to do with parental discipline? "



Maybe nothing, maybe everything. Don't dismiss the possibility 'til the facts are in.

[stuart-johns2]

October. Whether this is relevant or not I don't know. But I do know that many parents agree with you.

[rsmik]

I agree, all parents should be disciplined