8 year old Leila Fowler of Valley Springs, CA found stabbed to death in home

[MuffyBee]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/29/fingerprints-possible-dna-collected-in-killing-8-year-old-california-girl/
Fingerprints, possible DNA collected in killing of 8-year-old California girl
April 29, 2013

Sheriff's officials say investigators have collected fingerprints and what they believe is DNA from the home where an 8-year-old Northern California girl was stabbed to death, but haven't identified any suspects yet.

Calaveras County Sheriff's Capt. Jim Macedo told the Modesto Bee authorities hope to have lab results on the evidence in a week.

Leila Fowler was attacked at her home Saturday in Valley Springs, a small town about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento.

Police say Fowler was found by her brother after he encountered a male intruder at the home.
 ::snipping2::
Authorities say they are looking for a possible suspect: a white or Hispanic man around 6-feet tall, with a muscular build and last seen wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt and blue pants. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Leila's killing sparked a massive weekend manhunt, with authorities conducting a door-to-door search for the man, checking storage sheds and horse stables, and even searching attics.

Investigators were also looking into tips that had come in to the sheriff's office, including leads and tips that came from outside Calaveras County, officials said.

Authorities are asking area residents to call them if they had any information, or know of anyone who may have unexplained injuries, or may have left the area unexpectedly after the girl was killed.

Valley Springs is a community of about 2,500 people in an unincorporated area of Calaveras County, known as "Gold Country," in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57581839-504083/leila-fowler-murder-manhunt-for-killer-of-8-year-old-calif-girl-authorities-say/
Leila Fowler Murder: Manhunt for killer of 8-year-old Calif. girl, authorities say
April 29, 2013

 ::snipping2::
KOVR reports that Leila Fowler's body was found by her 12-year-old brother on Saturday afternoon.

The boy reportedly said he found his sister as the intruder who stabbed her to death was leaving his house.  Police said the boy is not a suspect "at this time, but we are continuing to talk to him."

Cpt. Jim Macedo said investigators collected fingerprints and what they believe to be DNA at the scene.

The station reports two other witnesses gave the same description as the victim's brother, describing the suspect as wearing blue jeans and a dark shirt.

Police said the suspect is described as a 6-foot tall white or Hispanic male with long gray hair and a muscular build, KOVR reports.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/28/girl-stabbed-california-manhunt/2119639/
Suspect hunted in fatal stabbing of 8-year-old at home
April 29, 2013

Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/california-police-investigate-link-stabbing-death-year-leila/story?id=19085145
Calif. Police Investigate Possible Link to Stabbing Death of 8-Year-Old Leila Fowler
May 1, 2013

(2 pgs)
California police are investigating whether an attempted kidnapping near where 8-year-old Leila Fowler was stabbed to death could be connected to her case, but police are calling it "a shot in the dark."

Authorities have been searching for Leila's killer around the clock since she was brutally stabbed in her Valley Springs, Calif., home on Saturday. They have not identified a suspect or motive.

They are now looking at whether a foiled kidnapping in Placerville, Calif., could be linked to her case. Placerville is about 50 miles north of Valley Springs.

At about 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Placerville police received a 911 call from someone saying a man was trying to kidnap a 15-month-old baby. The caller said that the child's mother was struggling with the suspect, according to police.

Police arrived at the scene within three minutes, found that the man was still in the apartment and apprehended him.

The mother told police that the man had followed her into her apartment from outside uninvited.

"The male subject focused his attention on a 15-month-old child then forcibly took the child from its mother and held the child to the ground," Placerville police said in a news release. "After a struggle, the mother was able to reclaim the child."

The mother put the baby in a bedroom where other children and an adult were hiding. She closed the door and fought with the suspect, keeping him out of the room until police arrived.

The suspect, identified as Jason Wayrynen, 42, was charged with kidnapping and burglary. He is being held at the El Dorado County Jail.

"There's no confirmed nexus between the two cases," Placerville Police Capt. Mike Scott told ABCNews.com of the attempted kidnapping and the Leila Fowler case.

"It's a shot in the dark in that we collected our suspect's DNA," Scott said. "The similarities are that an unknown intruder enters a residence with the intent commit harm to a child. That's the only nexus. We have nothing else on that."
 ::snipping2::
Leila and her 12-year-old brother were home alone in separate rooms on Saturday when the boy told police he found an intruder in the home, according to ABC News' Sacramento affiliate KXTV.

The 12-year-old called his parents, who alerted sheriff's deputies. The intruder fled and the boy found his sister with severe injuries, according to KXTV. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Calaveras County Coroner Kevin Raggio confirmed to ABC News that Fowler had been stabbed, but declined to elaborate regarding her injuries.
 ::snipping2::

Law enforcement agencies are searching for a suspect described as a 6-foot-tall man with a muscular build. He was last seen wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and blue pants. The suspect is considered "armed and dangerous," according to police.

Police have been searching Fowler's home in Valley Springs, Calif., a rural town 60 miles southeast of Sacramento, and the surrounding areas.

 "We did collect some fingerprints during that search and we also collected what we believe to be DNA," Calaveras County Sheriff's Capt. Jim Macedo said at a news conference. "We're searching extensively into attics and storage sheds. It is a difficult area to search."

The area has a lot of empty homes and rocky areas.

Police said Leila's brother is not a suspect at this time, but they have been interviewing him.

"We are continuing to talk to him, which would be normal because he was the last person with the child," Macedo said
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/california-police-investigate-link-stabbing-death-year-leila/story?id=19085145


Authorities are at the scene where 8-year-old Leila Fowler was stabbed to death in Valley Springs, Calif. (ABC News | Calaveras Unified School District)

[MuffyBee]

http://fox40.com/2013/05/02/investigators-recover-knives-from-leila-fowler-home/
Investigators Recover Knives from Leila Fowler Home
May 2, 2013

The street where 8-year-old Leila Fowler lived is still closed to the general public, as investigators continue to search for more evidence.

The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department released information on Wednesday that could be key in solving the mystery of who killed Leila.

“We did recover three knives. We are not sure yet if one of those is the murder weapon,” Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Chris Hewitt said.
 ::snipping2::
So has Leila’s 12-year-old brother been eliminated as a suspect?

“They are simply witnesses and we are interviewing them as such,” Hewitt said.

“Could that change, that status from witness to something else?” FOX40 asked.

“It depends on what kind of information we develop over the next couple of days,” Sgt. Hewitt added.

Investigators are looking into previous calls for service from police to Leila’s home.
Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/03/potential-witness-no-longer-credible-in-california-girl-murder/
Potential witness 'no longer credible' in California girl's murder
May 3, 2013

VALLEY SPRINGS, CALIF. –  A potential witness in the killing of an 8-year-old California girl has recanted her statements about seeing a possible suspect running from the girl's home and "is no longer credible," a sheriff's department spokesman said Thursday.

Sgt. Chris Hewitt said that while meeting with a sketch artist and detectives Wednesday, the unidentified witness refused to provide a description so a composite sketch could be made of the man.

Her account had been considered significant to identifying Leila Fowler's killer because her earlier descriptions had matched the one provided by Leila's 12-year-old brother, who was home alone with his sister when she was stabbed to death. The witness, however, reported seeing the suspect headed in the opposite direction than the brother had reported.

"Though this may seem like a setback in the investigation, it is actually a positive result in that it allows the investigators to narrow the scope of their investigation," Hewitt said of the witness' statements turning out to be unreliable.
 ::snipping2::
Investigators so far have found no link between the attempted kidnapping of a 15-month-old girl in Placerville on Tuesday and Leila's slaying Saturday in her home in Valley Springs, about 50 miles away.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://fox40.com/2013/05/03/community-rallies-to-support-grieving-family-of-leila-fowler/
Community Rallies to Support Grieving Family of Leila Fowler
May 3, 2013

The community of Valley Springs is coming together to support both physically and financially, the family of Leila Fowler.

There are spaghetti dinners and bake sales planned, with all of the proceeds going to the Fowler family. Even local jeweler Firefall Jewelers has created a special pendant that will be auctioned off to raise funds for the family.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013/05/05/retired-fbi-profiler-believes-killer-knew-leila-fowler/
Retired FBI Profiler Believes Killer Knew Leila Fowler
May 5, 2013

 
Now, a retired FBI profiler says the attack on Leila Fowler likely wasn’t random.

“If it was no one in the home, it was probably someone who’d seen her before and went there to kill her,” said Candice DeLong.

It’s a chilling thought for families living on-edge in Valley Springs. DeLong says the person capable of brutally taking an innocent girl’s life is probably someone who lives nearby.

“Did someone come from far across town, stop their car and randomly go into a house and kill that young girl? Probably not,” she said.

As sick as it sounds, DeLong believes the murder of Fowler may have been sexually motivated. She says there’s a 90-percent chance the killer is someone close to the little girl’s circle of friends, family members or even neighbors.

“(The killer) was either angry enough to want her dead or was trying to have sex with her. She resisted and she ended up dead,” said DeLong.

Fowler’s 12-year-old brother said last Saturday that he saw an intruder running from their home and then found his little sister stabbed. A few days later, though no one was in custody, investigators told the public not to worry for their safety.

“That statement sounded to me like police were trying to telegraph information to the public that they knew who the killer was and that he wasn’t roaming around free,” said DeLong.

She says the brother may be fearful to talk after seeing his little sister’s killer. Calavares County deputies have interviewed the 12-year-old and have repeatedly said he is cooperating and is not considered a suspect.

Adding to the mystery is the neighbor who initially told deputies she saw a man running from the home in the opposite direction as the brother said, and then later recanted her statement.

The question now: Why?

“Maybe the first thing she said was true. She did see someone running from the house and then she found out who it is and thought ‘I don’t want to get them in trouble.’ Or maybe, ‘I’m afraid of him and he knows who I am and where I live, and I could be next,’ ” said DeLong.

She says the neighbor could’ve also fabricated the entire story.
 
Dive teams searched two ponds near Fowler’s home, but it is unclear if any evidence was recovered.

Deputies continued canvassing her neighborhood and are also waiting on evidence from the crime lab.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.9news.com/news/world/334615/347/Divers-search-pond-for-evidence-in-Leila-Fowler-murder
Divers search pond for evidence in Leila Fowler murder
May 6, 2013

VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. - Dive recovery teams search two small reservoirs near the Valley Spring's residence on Rippon Road where 8-year-old Leila Fowler was murdered.

Calaveras County Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Hewitt said that two dive teams were deployed Sunday morning and they are expected to search for evidence throughout the day.

Hewitt said this is an additional evidence search and recovery method they are using to help them solve Fowler's murder.

Calaveras County sheriff's investigators will continue canvassing residences in the Rancho Calaveras subdivision Sunday, Hewitt said.

On Saturday, investigators were tasked with contacting residents in over 300 homes in an effort to locate any new witnesses or refresh potential witness memories of the Fowler murder that occurred last weekend. Hewitt said 50 percent of the area they intended to canvas was completed yesterday.
 
Investigators said on Friday they were studying knives that may have been used as a murder weapon, but they did not specify where the knives came from.

The sheriff's department said the FBI is also helping in the investigation into Fowler's murder.

Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://fox40.com/2013/05/07/private-service-to-be-held-for-leila-fowler-search-for-evidence-continues/
Private Service to be Held for Leila Fowler, Search for Evidence Continues
May 7, 2013

The family of Leila Fowler will be holding a private memorial service today for the 8-year-old killed over a week ago, authorities told FOX40 Tuesday.

Authorities also said that they will be continuing their search for evidence into the case, focusing on the two ponds near the Folwer home along Rippon Road.
 

[MuffyBee]

Rest in peace, sweet Leila.     I'm hoping there will be justice for her soon! 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sierra/fbi-crime-dogs-to-assist-in-leila-fowler-homicide-investigation/-/12970852/20038434/-/jgdscgz/-/index.html
FBI crime dogs assist in Leila Fowler homicide investigation
Dogs come from Washington
May 6, 2013

(2 pgs)
The animals will be looking for blood in the small town of Valley Springs.

The Calaveras County sheriff said investigators are getting closer to wrapping up the case.

The Sheriff's Office also said officials have started receiving some of the evidence analysis results from the Department of Justice crime lab, although no further details or specifics were released.

The path leading up to Leila's home, a portion of Rippon Road, remains blocked.

Officials continue to canvass the Rancho Calaveras subdivision, looking for clues in the child's homicide.

They went out Sunday as well, knocking on hundreds of doors to try and find possible witnesses to the girl's slaying.
 
Videos at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013/05/07/family-friends-say-goodbye-to-leila-fowler-as-neighbors-seek-security/
Family, Friends Say Goodbye To Leila Fowler As Neighbors Seek Security
May 7, 2013

 
Dive teams converged on a pair of ponds for the second time on Tuesday in search of clues to who killed the 8-year-old in her home on April 27. Her 12-year-old brother said she saw an intruder running away before he discovered his sister.

Investigators focused on a wooded area west of the home where Fowler was stabbed to death.

An overflow crowd turned out for the girl’s funeral at Parkview Cemetery in Manteca.

With the search for her killer well into a second week, some people are turning to professional security systems.

Rutledge Security Systems in nearby San Andreas has seen a flood of calls from customers wasting no time to order alarms to protect their families from an intruder.
 

[MuffyBee]

I think we've been waiting for this:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/brother-arrested-fatal-calif-stabbing-girl-19161296
Brother Arrested in Fatal Calif. Stabbing of Girl
May 12, 2013

Authorities say they have arrested the brother of an 8-year-old girl who was mysteriously stabbed at her home in a quiet Northern California community last month.

Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz told reporters at a news conference that the arrest was made late Saturday afternoon. He says the 12-year-old boy will be charged with homicide.
 

[klaasend]

Just getting ready to post it Muffy.  What is this world coming to? 

[MuffyBee]

Just getting ready to post it Muffy.  What is this world coming to? 

I don't know Klaas.     Eight year old Leila was allegedly stabbed to death by her twelve year old brother.  It's hard for me to imagine taking a knife and plunging it repeatedly into a human being's body. Just the thought of it makes me ill.   I have a hard enough time cutting up a whole chicken into pieces.     Stabbing someone is so hands on, so personal, so brutal.  Why does a twelve year old boy stab his little sister to death? 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kcra.com/news/sheriff-significant-development-in-leila-fowler-case/-/11797728/20111528/-/t25s5kz/-/index.html
Sheriff: Brother arrested in homicide of Valley Springs girl
Leila Fowler found stabbed to death April 27
May 11, 2013

Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz said at a news conference that Leila Fowler's brother was taken into custody just after 5 p.m. Saturday. He will be charged with homicide, Kuntz said.

Several classmates of the 12-year-old boy, and parents of those classmates, told KCRA 3 that the boy's name is Isaiah Fowler. The Calaveras County Sheriff's Department would not confirm the boy's identity.

The classmates said Isaiah Fowler was at his sister's vigil that took place just days after the girl's death.

Valley Springs residents who knew the family said Saturday after the arrest was announced that they are shocked by the news and that Leila Fowler and her brother were close.

Fowler was found stabbed to death at her family’s home on Rippon Road on April 27.
 

[Green Eyes]

Rest In Peace Leila. May justice come quickly. How does something like this happen. 

[Nut44x4]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/11/us/california-stabbing-death/index.html