Elizabeth Shelley went missing over the weekend and a relative of hers was quickly deemed a suspect, causing heartbreak and shock in Logan, Utah.
“We should be allowed to have our kids run and play freely in a safe, free environment,” said concerned citizen Melanie Norton. “These are not the kind of people that we want in our town.”
Investigators believe they found the remains of Elizabeth Shelley. The 5-year-old went missing Saturday.
Her uncle, Alex Whipple, is facing numerous charges including one count of aggravated murder, child kidnapping, desecration of a body and two counts of obstruction of justice.
Logan City Police Chief Gary Jensen said, “His wristwatch and his sweatshirt contained blood that is DNA-positive to match Lizzy’s blood.”
The police chief said a deal was made between Whipple and authorities: the death penalty would be taken off the table in exchange for information that would lead to her body.
Chief Logan said, “This is the moment that we had hoped would come, obviously not in the… certainly not the way we wanted it to happen. We certainly would have wanted to bring Lizzy home.”
According to court documents, Whipple visited Elizabeth’s mother and her boyfriend Friday night to drink and play video games. Hours later, Elizabeth was gone.
Jill Parker with the Cache County Attorney’s Office said, “This did not end the way we wanted it to, but in this sadness, we are comforted that so many people put forth so much effort to help us find Lizzy.”
The medical examiner’s office still must make an official identification of the remains.
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