Criminal Complaint Reveals New Details In Murder Of 10-Year-Old Lily Peters

New details are coming to light about the rape and murder of 10-year-old Lily Peters, who was found dead in the Wisconsin woods late last month.

Peters’ body was found near a hiking trail in Chippewa Falls on the morning of April 25, one day after she vanished from her aunt’s home, as previously reported. A 14-year-old boy, whose name has not been released because of his age, was arrested after authorities said he beat, strangled and raped the child.

The teenage boy is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree sexual assault and first-degree sexual assault of a person under 13 resulting in great bodily harm. Per Fox 11 News, he is being charged in adult court.

On Friday, a judge unsealed the criminal complaint, which detailed the teen suspect’s interview with Eau Claire police on April 26. The judge ruled that other records with identifying details, including search warrants, will remain sealed.

The suspect, who is only named in court documents by his initials “C.P.B.,” allegedly claimed that he helped Peters grab her bicycle from a residence before traveling toward the trails. He traveled by hoverboard while the victim rode her bike.

Lily Peters Photo: Chippewa Falls Police Department

“When they left the house, it was already his intention to rape and kill,” the complaint alleges.

The boy allegedly asked Peters if she wanted to go off-trail before carrying their transportation into the woods, according to the documents. Police say the boy confessed that he “punched [Peters] in the stomach, knocking her to the ground,” according to the complaint. He also allegedly admitted to hitting the girl three times with a large stick.

The complaint says that suspect stated he straddled the victim as she lay on her back and “strangled her until he believed [Peters] was deceased."

The Chippewa County Coroner’s Office confirmed Peters died of blunt force trauma and strangulation, as previously reported.

The suspect allegedly admitted that he tried to sexually assault Peters after she died.

According to the postmortem examination cited in the criminal complaint, findings from a preliminary autopsy sent to the sheriff’s office showed bite marks were present on the victim’s left buttocks. Court records detailed other graphic findings of the attack, including “biological evidence consistent with sexual assault."

The suspect allegedly said he recalled biting the victim but couldn’t remember where on her body.

According to the complaint, the teenager claimed he became scared, prompting him to flee the scene and return home, where he showered and put his clothes in the laundry.

When news of Peters’ disappearance spread around the tight-knit community, the suspect “returned to [Peters’] body, drug her a few feet, and covered her with leaves," the complain states.

Peters’ disappearance was reported by her father on April 24 at around 9:00 p.m. to the Chippewa Falls Police Department after she hadn’t returned from her aunt’s house, the complaint states. The father found the girl’s bicycle two hours later near the Leinie’s Lodge brewery on Elm Street, not far from where her body was found the following day.

When discovered the next day, Lily Peters was naked from the waist down.

Investigators announced the suspect and Peters knew one another but have not revealed how.

“The suspect was not a stranger,” Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm told reporters. “The suspect was known to the victim.”

The 14-year-old made his first appearance in court on April 27, where prosecutors also characterized the violent attack as premeditated. He is currently being held at the Northwest Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Eau Claire, where a cash bond has been set for $1 million, according to NBC affiliate WEAU.

The suspect is due in court on June 24.