Middle school coach snatched 10-yr old girl from the street, shot her in the head and stuffed her in trashbags in his basement

by Tiffiny Ruegner | February 20, 2014 9:03 pm

It is disturbing when a child is kidnapped and later found murdered. It is even more gruesome when the kidnapper and killer turns out to work with children as a career.[1]

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A Missouri middle school sports coach charged in the grisly murder of a 10-year-old girl shot the bubbly fourth grader in the head, authorities have revealed, after he snatched her off the street and threw her into his truck ‘like a rag doll.’ Craig Michael Wood, 45, is facing first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action charges in the death of Hailey Owens, who was taken from the street in front of horrified witnesses while walking home from a friend’s house Tuesday evening in Springfield. He could be sentenced to death if convicted.

Hailey’s body was found in his basement early Wednesday – stuffed in two trash bags inside plastic storage containers. The floor was still damp from bleach, a probable cause statement said. Authorities won’t officially confirm that the body is Hailey’s until after an autopsy, but Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams said ‘we have a high degree of confidence’ in the preliminary identification, which indicates that it is the girl.

Wood was inside a truck parked outside his small, single-story home in Springfield when police arrested him Tuesday night, just hours after the abduction. The truck is owned by the suspect’s parents, Jim and Regina Wood, who told authorities their son drove the vehicle. The 45-year-old was holding a roll of duct tape in his hands when officers arrived, the statement said. Wood agreed to go to police headquarters for an interview where he denied having any contact with his alleged victim.

According to Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson, who filed the charges with tears in his eyes late Wednesday afternoon, Wood grabbed the girl as several residents watched in horror and later shot her in the back of the head in his home. A spent .22 caliber shell casing was also found in the basement of his home. There was also evidence that her wrists had been tied, according to the probable cause statement, though no other details about what happened between the kidnapping and her death have been released.

Some people might think I am an overprotective mom. I know where my child is at all times and make him check in with me at every turn that may be precarious. Nightmare stories only confirm that I am right to worry and put routines in place that will provide security while we transition to full freedom.

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