Elizabeth Olten
/ AP Photo/Cole County Sheriff's Department
ST. MARTINS, Mo. (AP) — The body of a missing 9-year-old Missouri girl was found in a wooded area near the state capital on Friday, two days after she was last seen walking from a neighbor's home, police said.
Cole County Sheriff Greg White said a juvenile, described only as a "person of interest," was taken into custody. The juvenile was acquainted with the girl, Elizabeth Olten, White said.
The sheriff 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 and was older than the girl.
White said police found written evidence and that the juvenile led searchers to Elizabeth's body in a wooded area. He did not elaborate.
Elizabeth was last seen when she started walking home from a neighbor's house on Wednesday evening. A woman who answered a family spokeswoman's phone Friday said Elizabeth's family had no immediate 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.
