A Springfield, MO middle school football coach, Craig Michael Wood, was charged on Wednesday with the murder of Hailey Owens, a 10 year old girl that he kidnapped off the street in broad daylight. Wood was also charged with kidnapping and armed criminal action. From CBS News:
Wood was inside a truck parked outside his small, single-story home in Springfield when police arrested him Tuesday night. A probable cause statement released Wednesday said the 45-year-old Wood was holding a roll of duct tape in his hands when officers arrived, and that the girl’s body was found stuffed inside two garbage bags in a basement where the floor was still damp from bleach.
Patterson said the girl had been shot in the head.
There were multiple bystanders who saw the kidnapping take place that tried to help stop it. Here is what neighbor Ricky Riggins said about chasing Wood in his car:
“I couldn’t keep up,” Riggins told the newspaper. “He was probably five to six cars ahead of me. … It was so fast.”
Wood had no connection to this girl so motive is unclear. This truly is awful. All thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family.