Willow Long killed by uncle

[merithyn]

This happened about 90 miles south of us. We have good friends who live in the town. (Some may recognize it as the home of one of the largest crosses in the country, set up right next to the interstate.)

Other reports claim that after she tripped and fell, he saw her twitch, so he went inside, got a knife, and came out to "put her out of her misery". The stabbings are believed to be what killed her, not the stick.

Police suspect that a family member killed a 7-year-old girl who went missing Sunday.

Justin DeRyke, 22, of Watson, Ill., was arrested on Tuesday after authorities found Willow Long's body south of town, CNN reports. DeRyke is the victim's maternal uncle.

DeRyke's father Dale told KDSK that his son confessed to the killing during police questioning. Justin DeRyke was reportedly watching Long and her younger brother on Saturday night while their mother was away from home. He told police that Willow woke up and started playing that night, when she ran outside and tripped in the yard, Dale DeRyke said.

"She ran, she tripped a stick went right through her neck and into her head," he told the station. "He's thinking oh my God, I killed her or she just died they are going to blame me, he's not thinking correctly ... I believe he put her out of her misery, and that's all I can say for sure."

On Sunday, Long's mother said she was taking a 90-minute nap due to a headache. When she awoke, Long was missing. Police initially thought Long disappeared while reenacting a scene from the movie she was watching, "The Princess and the Frog."

An autopsy is underway at a hospital in Effingham. Police say the death appears to be a homicide, though an official cause of death hasn't been released.

The state attorney's office is expected to file first-degree murder charges today, and DeRyke will make an initial court appearance.

[Razgovory]

Am I suppose to know who Willow Long is? 

[jimmy olsen]

I thought I was going to be reading about a midget murdered by a geriatric uncle here.

[merithyn]

Am I suppose to know who Willow Long is?

Well, if you read the OP, yes. Otherwise, not unless you happened to see the Amber Alerts for her.

[Razgovory]

Am I suppose to know who Willow Long is?

Well, if you read the OP, yes. Otherwise, not unless you happened to see the Amber Alerts for her.

Well normally you only put the name of person in the header if people are expected to recognize it.  Otherwise it'd be something like "Illinois girl killed by uncle".  It also works in reverse:  You wouldn't write "Illinois man threatens to bomb Syria", you'd write "Barack Obama threatens to bomb Syria".

As an aside, "she fell on a stick and so I had to take her out her misery with a knife" is a terrible legal defense.

[merithyn]

Well normally you only put the name of person in the header if people are expected to recognize it.  Otherwise it'd be something like "Illinois girl killed by uncle".  It also works in reverse:  You wouldn't write "Illinois man threatens to bomb Syria", you'd write "Barack Obama threatens to bomb Syria".

You mean you wouldn't. I, obviously, would.

As an aside, "she fell on a stick and so I had to take her out her misery with a knife" is a terrible legal defense.

That was why I posted the thread. It seemed a very strange line of defense.

[Razgovory]

Alright, whatever.

[Ideologue]

Am I suppose to know who Willow Long is?

Well, if you read the OP, yes. Otherwise, not unless you happened to see the Amber Alerts for her.

Well normally you only put the name of person in the header if people are expected to recognize it.  Otherwise it'd be something like "Illinois girl killed by uncle".  It also works in reverse:  You wouldn't write "Illinois man threatens to bomb Syria", you'd write "Barack Obama threatens to bomb Syria".

As an aside, "she fell on a stick and so I had to take her out her misery with a knife" is a terrible legal defense.

Indeed.  That's for a properly convened Death Panel to decide.

P.S.: Concur regarding Meri's journalism.  It thought Willow Long was somehow famous outside of disappearing in a state that I've never been to and which, as far I know, could be entirely fictional.

[merithyn]

You guys really are ridiculous on what you latch onto on threads. Not the fact that a seven-year-old child was killed by her uncle in a horrible way, that his defense is insane (thought not one of insanity), or that it was only a short distance from where I live.

No. You bitch because you don't like the thread title. 

[Caliga]

I was wondering if maybe the story got saturation coverage in Meri's area, and so she thought it was a national story and assumed we'd know the name.

[Neil]

For us, the big problem isn't some random kid getting killed.  The problem is that you're acting like you expect us to know who she is.

[Ideologue]

You guys really are ridiculous on what you latch onto on threads. Not the fact that a seven-year-old child was killed by her uncle in a horrible way, that his defense is insane (thought not one of insanity), or that it was only a short distance from where I live.

No. You bitch because you don't like the thread title. 

Hey, what kind of commentary do you want regarding the murder?  It's bad.  That's all I've got.

[katmai]

For us, the big problem isn't some random kid getting killed.  The problem is that you're acting like you expect us to know who she is.

[Ed Anger]

I liked the movie Willow. Eat it.

[Caliga]

I liked the movie Willow. Eat it.

I liked the part with the midgets.