News Tribune - Local News
A juvenile acquaintance is 'person of interest'
Published: Saturday, October 24, 2009 3:24 AM CDT
The news no one wanted to hear came Friday afternoon. Cole County Sheriff Greg White announced that authorities had recovered the body of Elizabeth Olten, 9, who had been missing since Wednesday night.
A gasp went out from the small crowd of volunteers who were gathered behind reporters at the St. Martins VFW, when White made the announcement at the start of a news conference.
White said the body was recovered in a heavily wooded area off of Route D, that they had been searching since Wednesday night.
White gave few other details about the recovery, other than through the recovery of physical evidence and written evidence they were able to determine a person of interest.
That person, identified only as "a juvenile," was questioned and then led officials to where Elizabeth's body was found.
White would say only that the juvenile and Elizabeth were known to each other, and that the juvenile was older than Elizabeth.
White could not say if the juvenile would be charged as an adult in the case.
The area around Elizabeth's home was blocked off by authorities Friday afternoon.
White said authorities were far from through with their investigation.
"We have a large crime scene area to process and we've got people going over that," he said.
White said the Missouri Highway Patrol and FBI are helping with that work.
"This has been tough on everyone involved in this case," said Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Jim Keathley.
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.
The not-for-profit group
Missouri Missing has been helping the family since Elizabeth disappeared Wednesday night. They helped in making posters, fliers and buttons to try and get the word out about Elizabeth, and put information out on the Internet.
Co-founder Peggy Florence remained with Elizabeth's family during most of the ordeal.
Florence also has had dealings with Elizabeth's father, Dale Olten Sr., who was one of the last people to see Florence's daughter -- Jasmine Haslag -- in June 2007 before she went missing. Haslag is presumed dead.
Olten Sr. currently is serving time in prison for a drug conviction.
Florence said Elizabeth's disappearance this week was a case of a family hurting and needing help.
"This was a family that was going through hell," she said. "If they wanted me to go, that would have been fine -- but they kept asking me to stay."
Olten Sr. learned of Elizabeth's death while watching TV in prison, 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.
Elizabeth was a student at Jefferson City's Pioneer Trail Elementary School.
Superintendent Dr. Brian Mitchell said, in a statement: "We are deeply saddened by the events related to Elizabeth Olten's passing.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.
"We will continue to concentrate all of our efforts in taking care of our students at Pioneer Trail Elementary School.
"Next week we will have additional counselors available at the school and provide whatever support is needed for the students, their parents, and our own faculty and staff at Pioneer Trail."
The discovery of the body follows long hours of work by hundreds of volunteers and emergency personnel who had come out since Wednesday night, wanting to help in any way to find the little girl.
Friday's search teams included dogs and people on horseback.
Many of the volunteers came out because they had children the same age as Elizabeth. Many told reporters that they would hope people would come out to look for their kids, if they were missing.
About 70 people had searched for Elizabeth on horseback, with all-terrain vehicles and on foot while another 70 investigators checked leads, Sheriff 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.
Col. 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 Route D 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.
Missing 9 year old's body found
wow, im shocked a juvenile did this!
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