ST. MARTINS, Mo., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A teenager is suspected of killing a 9-year-old Missouri girl whose body was found hidden in a wooded area, police said Saturday.
Cole County Sheriff Greg White said the 16-year-old led investigators Friday to the body of Elizabeth Olten, which he said was "well-concealed" in an area that had already been searched.
White said at a news conference that juvenile authorities have asked the Circuit Court to charge the teen, the Jefferson City News Tribune reported. He refused to give details about Elizabeth's death or even say whether the suspect is male or female.
"I know that it would be cathartic for the public to know exactly what happened, but the difficulty with that is, we have to maintain a prosecutable case," White said. "We're not going to contaminate jury pools or anything else."
He said Elizabeth died around the time she was reported missing Wednesday.
Elizabeth was last seen when she left a friend's house in St. Martins at about 6:15 p.m. Wednesday. Her parents called police when she did not return home by 7 p.m.
