10-Year-Old Girl’s Body Is Found In The Woods, Juvenile Arrested

On Monday, April 25, 2022, the body of 10-year-old Iliana (Lily) Peters was found near a walking trail in a wooded area of downtown Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Lily was planning to bike home after visiting her aunt on Sunday, April 24, according to ABC News. That night, when she failed to arrive at home, her father reported her missing. A statement on the Chippewa Falls Police Department Facebook page said that the fourth grader was last seen by family members in the evening before she started biking the quarter-mile home.

Later that night, officers found a bicycle in a wooded area by a walking trail close to her aunt’s house. They went door-to-door, used K9 teams, and sent out a drone to search the woods. The next morning, police found her body in the nearby woods, prompting a homicide investigation.

The day after Peter’s body was found, officers arrested a juvenile in connection with her death. According to CNN, the suspect, who is not being named at this time, was known to the victim.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Lily’s elementary school has become the site of a makeshift memorial. Several people tied purple ribbons to lampposts in downtown Chippewa Falls in memory of Iliana “Lily” Peters.

As the Chippewa Falls Police Department continues to investigate the death, they have established a tip line. Anyone with any information that could be helpful is encouraged to contact the tip line at 1-800-263-5906.