Last edited 9:18 a.m., Feb. 20, 2014
The prime suspect in the abduction and apparent murder of a Springfield girl was employed by Springfield Public Schools, according to a statement issued by Superintendent Norm Ridder.
The suspect, Craig Michael Wood, has been employed by SPS since August 1998, and works as a paraprofessional for in-school suspension and athletic coach - as assistant seventh-grade boys basketball coach and the head seventh-grade football coach - at Pleasant View K-8. His employment has been suspended until the matter is resolved, according to the statement. In a separate statement, SPS spokeswoman Teresa Bledsoe said district employees are only hired after a background check has been performed.
"The background check process is mandated by state law and includes a check of open and closed records at the municipal, state and national levels and coordinates information from multiple agencies, including local authorities and the FBI," she said.
The child, Hailey Owens, 10, was a student at Westport Elementary School and last year attended Bowerman Elementary School.
"Students and staff at three of our schools are coping with this situation. To support these school communities directly impacted by this tragedy, I have assigned additional counseling staff and school police officers to be on hand until further notice," Ridder said. "We are fully cooperating with law enforcement officials as their investigation continues."
Wood was taken by the Springfield Police Department for questioning at approximately 8:30 last night after investigators located the suspect's vehicle at a residence in the 1500 block of East Stanford Street, according to a city of Springfield news release. He is being held on first-degree murder charges, according to
GreeneCountyMo.org.
Police responded at about 5 p.m. yesterday to the 3200 block of West Lombard Street after Owens was reported abducted. Officers obtained preliminary information from witnesses, including vehicle description, license plate and the suspect's appearance. A multistate Amber Alert was issued at approximately 7 p.m, the release said.
At a
morning news conference, Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams told reporters "evidence of foul play" was found at the residence on Stanford Street, but did not address media reports that the girl's body had been found.
Late this morning, Springfield Police spokeswoman Lisa Cox confirmed a young female body was found at 1538 E. Stanford St.
"While she has not been positively identified, we have a high degree of confidence that it is Hailey Owens," Cox said in a statement.
