KERRA WILSON - 8 yo (9/2011) - Mitchell NE

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is asking
residents to keep an eye out for Kerra Wilson, a Mitchell, Neb.,
8-year-old who went missing Wednesday morning. She may be in the area,
the organization advised.

Kerra Wilson was last seen outside her school in Mitchell early
Wednesday morning. She was wearing a blue short-sleeve shirt, blue
shorts and Twinkle Toe shoes.

Kerra Wilson is white, with brown hair and blue eyes, is 4 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs about 78 lbs.

Anyone with information should immediately contact the National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children (1-800-THE-LOST) or the Nebraska
State Police (1-308-632-1211).http://www.torringtontelegram.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=34&story_id=8061

MITCHELL, Neb. — Searchers and investigators are getting ready to
canvas the City of Mitchell again this afternoon in the disappearance of an 8-year-old girl.
The Nebraska State Patrol and other authorities are investigating a
missing person's report involving 8-year-old Kerra Wilson.

The FBI has now joined the investigation and search. A Team Adam consultant
from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC),
of Alexandria, Va., also has arrived to help in the search.

Searchers, including law enforcement, emergency responders, and volunteers, had
searched Mitchell Wednesday evening, the eve of Wilson's disappearance.
They went door-to-door and will repeat that process today said Sgt.
Monica Bartling of the Nebraska State Patrol.

Wilson was last seen by her stepfather at 8 a.m. Wednesday, as he dropped her off at
school. Bartling has said authorities were told the girl had been
dropped off at the west doors of the Mitchell Elementary School.

The school's principal, Kirk Kuxhausen, has said that the girl never made
it to school grounds and was spotted at a local Subway restaurant
Wednesday morning. Bartling would not confirm those reports, saying, “We
know she did not enter the school.”

Scanner traffic indicated that the girl was reported missing shortly before 3 p.m. by her
grandmother. Wilson's mother has been identified as Amanda Lopez.

“We don't know where she is,” Bartling said. “We do not know she has been
abducted, but she is an 8-year-old girl who has now been missing for more than 24 hours.”

Family members have been interviewed and have
been “completely cooperative,” she said. Family members interviewed
include Wilson's biological father and her step-father. The involvement
of the FBI and NCMEC is not a sign that the State Patrol believes the
child has been abducted, but an effort to use every available resource, Bartling said.
Bartling said the State Patrol has been unable to locate any witnesses
that saw Wilson get into a vehicle or walk away from the school.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has issued a flyer
that calls Wilson an endangered child. An Amber Alert has not been issued
because of the lack of information, such as the description of a vehicle or person the girl could be with.

In addition to re-canvassing Mitchell, Bartling said searchers have
focused on areas in and around Mitchell, Morrill and county canals and
rivers. The State Patrol has used its airplane and helicopter in the
search. Local officials also used a search dog..

“She is a tiny girl,” Bartling said.

The girl is described as standing 4-foot-2 and weighing 78 pounds. She has
brown, shoulder-length hair with red streaks in it. She is described as
wearing a sky blue short-sleeved shirt, possibly with white numbers or
letters. She also was reportedly wearing darker blue cotton shorts and
could be carrying a blue knapsack with strings.

The knapsack says “Kids Fitness and Nutrition Day.".

“We are utilizing every resource available to us in our search for Kerra,”
Bartling said. “We would encourage anyone who may have seen her or has
any information ... to please contact authorities.”

Anyone with information should call the Scotts Bluff County Communications center at
308-436-6666 or the Nebraska State Patrol at 308-632-1211.

The FBI has also sent out an alert that the anyone with information also can contact the bureau's Omaha office, 402-493-8688.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110922/NEWS97/110929904/1120

Kerra was THE story on NG tonight.
As we have historically seen, the last person with the child knows the most. It's up to the step-dad to exonerate himself from any misdeeds.
One thing though. Why would somebody of this age take it upon themselves to NOT enter the school building and go across the street to the Subway? Perhaps there was someone that planned to meet her there?
I don't know if she had access to the internet but I would look see.
What's the nature of the relationship of the bio dad with the mom? Did he hatch a plot to have her disappear so that he could have custody?
I feel we may have another Kyron on our hands.

MITCHELL - Authorities have been investigating the disappearance of
8-year-old Kerra Wilson for nearly 36 hours now. Despite best efforts,
her whereabouts remain unknown, said Lt. Monica Bartling of the Nebraska
State Patrol on Thursday evening.

Searchers with the Nebraska State Patrol, Scotts Bluff County
Sheriff's Department, Scotts Bluff County Emergency Response, Mitchell
Police Department and many others have been vigorously searching for
Wilson. The girl's grandmother reported her missing at about 3 p.m.

"We have a plethora of people here," Bartling said, saying that all
resources are being exhausted. The FBI and National Centers for Missing
and Exploited Children also arrived in Mitchell on Thursday to assist.

The girl's stepfather has told police that he dropped the girl off
at the Mitchell Elementary School she has attended since kindergarten.

Her stepfather is the last person reported to have seen her.

However, Bartling said during a press conference Thursday evening,
footage from video cameras does not show Wilson entering the school.
Video from surveillance cameras from businesses near the school also
does not show Wilson and reports that she had gone to a nearby Subway
restaurant have not been confirmed.

Authorities know that Wilson did not enter the school.

"Since 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning, no one has seen Kerra," Bartling
said. "We have been looking for almost 36 hours now. She could be in
any state in the United States or out of the country."

The girl's mother has been identified as Amanda Lopez. Her
stepfather has been identified as Salvador Lopez. The couple has been
married about two years, Bartling said.

Both parents have been questioned and have been identified as
"persons of interest." When using that term, Bartling said, she said
family members are among the persons being "checked out" because they
were reportedly the last ones to have seen the girl. Amanda Lopez and
Salvador Lopez have been cooperative in the investigation.

Though neither the mother nor stepfather was at the press
conference, Bartling said they have expressed gratitude to the community
for the concern for Wilson. She said they are deeply worried about the
girl and are pleading for her safe return.

The girl has not had any history of running away and any
disagreements with her parents are "normal 8-year-old disagreements,"
Bartling said. The girl does have siblings, but they are too young to be
questioned or be helpful in the case.

Previous reports that the girl's biological father had been
interviewed were incorrect. Bartling said that Wilson's mother does not
know the girl's father and that he has not been involved in her life. In
fact, Bartling said, the girl's mother has said that he does not know
that he has a daughter.

Bartling said the community has been helpful in the case, with the
information being received from within and outside the state.

However, she also urged groups that have pledged to organize search
teams to remember that law enforcement and other trained volunteers have
been on the ground searching.

"I know people's hearts are in the right place. We don't want to see anything happen that could hurt our case," she said.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has issued a
flyer, which calls Wilson an endangered child. An Amber Alert has not
been issued because of the lack of information that meets criteria to
allow the public to act, such as a determination that Wilson has been
abducted and a description of a vehicle or suspect for the public to
sufficiently act on. The case does not meet the criteria for issuing an
alert, Bartling reiterated.

The FBI has also made information about Wilson available on its website.

Earlier in the day, Bartling said searchers were planned to be
re-canvassing the city of Mitchell. Searchers also been focused on
searching areas in and around Mitchell, Morrill and county canals and
rivers. The Nebraska State Patrol has used its airplane and helicopter,
both equipped with thermal imaging equipment, in the search. Scotts
Bluff County CERT Team has also used its search dog, Bruno, in the effort.

The girl is described as being 4 feet, 2 inches in height and weighs
78 pounds. She has brown, shoulder-length hair with red stripes on it.

She is described as wearing a sky blue short-sleeved shirt, possibly
with white numbers or letters on it. She was also reported to have been
wearing darker blue cotton shorts and could be carrying a blue knapsack
with strings. The knapsack says "Kids Fitness and Nutrition Day" on it.

"We are utilizing every resource available to us in our search for
Kerra," Bartling said. "We would encourage anyone who may have seen her
or has any information they believe would aid in finding Kerra to please contact authorities."

Anyone with information should call the Scotts Bluff County
Communications center at 308-436-6666 or the Nebraska State Patrol at
308-632-1211. The FBI has also sent out an alert that anyone with
information can also contact the Omaha FBI office, 402-493-8688.

Posters issued by the NCMEC are available for download: http://tinyurl.com/missing-child-poster.

Bartling said further information about Wilson's disappearance would
now be released during regularly-scheduled press conferences, scheduled for 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/09/23/news/40002531.txt

Body of missing Nebraska 8-year-old - Kerra Wilson - found


SCOTTSBLUFF, Ne. - The search for 8-year-old Kerra Wilson has
ended with the discovery of her body in a remote area of Sioux County.

In the early evening hours of Thursday investigators from the Nebraska State Patrol and the FBI
were notified by a local rancher alerting them to an area that he felt
needed to be examined. The area was located several miles north of
Mitchell. Upon their arrival investigators located what is believed to
be the body of 8-year-old Kerra Wilson.

Preliminary identification of the body was made through articles of
clothing, physical characteristics and evidence found at the scene. Due
to the rugged terrain and time of night investigators were unable to
move the body and process the scene.

Based on the discovery of Kerra's body and the evidence at the scene,
Salvador Carlos Lopez, 32, of Mitchell was arrested in the death of
Kerra Wilson. At this time Lopez is being held in the Scotts Bluff
County Detention Center on a charge of first-degree murder.

"We were hoping to bring Kerra safely home
to her family; sadly we weren't able to do that," said Lt. Monica
Bartling of the Nebraska State Patrol. "We will continue gathering
evidence in this case and work with the Sioux County Attorney to
prosecute Salvador Lopez to the fullest extent of the law."

Kerra Wilson was reported missing by her family just before 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Initial reports were that Kerra had been last seen in the parking lot of the Mitchell Elementary School
after being dropped off by her stepfather Salvador Lopez. It was
determined through subsequent interviews with school staff and
classmates that Kerra could not be placed anywhere on school grounds.

"The cooperation of the staff of Mitchell Elementary was key in
determining that Kerra never made it to school on Wednesday,"Lt.
Bartling said. "This has been a very difficult time for everyone
involved and I want to thank the school staff, community volunteers and
local law enforcement for their efforts and cooperation during this very difficult time. "

The recovery of Kerra's body and investigation into her death
continues. The Nebraska State Patrol and the FBI were assisted in the
investigation by Team Adam, Mitchell, Morrill, Scottsbluff and Gering
Police Departments, Scotts Bluff County Sheriff's Office and the Scotts
Bluff County CERT Team.



http://www.9news.com/news/article/220735/339/Body-of-missing-Nebraska-8-year-old-found

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.—Prosecutors have charged a western Nebraska man with killing his 8-year-old stepdaughter.

Court
documents say 32-year-old Salvador Carlos Lopez was charged with
first-degree murder Friday in the death of Kerra Wilson. Investigators
found Kerra's body Thursday evening in a rugged area of Sioux County
after a rancher reported seeing something suspicious.
Police
spent much of Wednesday and Thursday searching for the girl after Lopez
and her mother reported her missing. Lopez had claimed he dropped her
off at school Wednesday but investigators don't believe that.
A
Nebraska State Patrol investigator says in court documents that Lopez
admitted killing his stepdaughter after her body was found.
Lopez is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Monday morning.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18962177

MITCHELL, Neb. -- Court documents reveal very little new information on
charges against a Mitchell man accused of killing his 8-year-old
stepdaughter.

Salvador Carlos Lopez, 32, of Mitchell, has been
charged with first-degree murder. Jail records also indicate that Lopez
is being held on a felony charge of sexual assault of a minor, but no
formal charge to that effect has been filed.

The Nebraska State Patrol arrested Lopez in connection with Wilson’s death after her body
was found in a rugged area on a Sioux County ranch. The girl had been
missing since Wednesday, Sept. 21, and searchers for the girl included a
search dog and Nebraska State Patrol aircraft.

Lopez had reportedly been the last person to see Wilson alive. He had told
authorities that he had dropped Wilson off at school on Wednesday, Sept.22.

According to the arrest affidavit, school authorities had
contacted Kerra's mother and inquired about the reason why she hadn’t
shown up for school. Wilson’s grandmother reported her missing at 3
p.m., hours after Lopez said he dropped off the girl at school.

The court affidavit and investigators have said video surveillance at
Mitchell Elementary School does not show Wilson having entered the school that morning.

The arrest affidavit also says that a Nebraska State Patrol investigator and FBI special agent interviewed
Lopez after Wilson’s body had been found on a rural Sioux County ranch.
In that interview, the affidavit says, Lopez implicated himself in the
slaying.

Sioux County Clerk Magistrate Lori Miskimins said Lopez has been scheduled to be arraigned on Monday at 9
a.m. in Sioux County Court in Harrison.

Lopez has almost no criminal history. In 2010, he was convicted and fined on a charge of
speeding. In 2008, he was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of lacking
proof of insurance and making an improper turn.

Lopez is currently being held in Scotts Bluff County Detention Center. No bond has been set.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110923/NEWS97/110929904/1009

Posters note: So terribly sad. I think a lot of us suspected this outcome as soon as we read the first story. Poor dear wee girl.

Published Tuesday October 18, 2011
Stepdad's murder trial set

HARRISON, Neb. — A Mitchell man charged with killing his stepdaughter could be tried as early as March.
Salvador Carl Lopez, 32, has been charged with first-degree murder, a Class I felony, in the Sept. 21 death of 8-year-old Kerra Wilson. He appeared for the first time in district court Tuesday morning.
Prosecutor Joe Stecher, a Sioux County deputy attorney and a former U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska, filed an additional aggravated circumstances in the case, the necessary filing for the state to seek the death penalty in the case.
In order to seek the death penalty, the state must indicate, and later prove, that at least one aggravated circumstance exists in the case. The complaint identified Lopez's attempt to conceal the crime or the perpetrator as the circumstance. Though the state is required by law to state its intentions to seek the death penalty from the beginning of a case, it could later determine not to seek the death penalty.
The aggravated circumstance could come from Lopez's initial statements from police or other acts he committed as part of the crime that have not been released to the public. Investigators had searched for two days, beginning Sept. 21, for the girl, whose grandmother reported that she had not been in school.
Lopez had allegedly lied to investigators, telling them that he had dropped off the girl at school on the morning of Sept. 21. Investigators arrested Lopez after a rancher, whose name has not been released, discovered the girl's remains on a ranch north of Mitchell.
Lopez, who appeared without an attorney in county court proceedings last month, appeared with Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy attorney James Mowbray during the district court hearing before Judge Leo Dobrovolny. Mowbray will represent Lopez, who is currently slated to be tried in March.
In an interview after the court hearing, Mowbray said he does believe it could be possible that the case would go to trial by March, though "it's hard to say at this point." He said the timeline will depend on how soon the defense receives discovery information in the case. He filed a motion for discovery Tuesday, which was granted. Other motions could also hold up the case, such as whether the defense decides to seek a change of venue.
Stecher and Sioux County Attorney Adam Edmund have released little information in the case, including preliminary autopsy results that could provide more information about the girl's death. Mowbray indicated that he knows that the county attorney's office "is trying to minimize the amount of information that is public to avoid tainting the jury pool." However, he said, the defense believes it is likely that it will need to seek a change of venue because of Sioux County's small population.
"Due to the lack of people, I believe we will have a problem seating a jury," he said.
According to the 2010 census, Sioux County has a population of 1,311 people. Mowbray said he believes it will be easier to seat a jury in Scotts Bluff County, which has a population of 36,970, despite extensive media attention.
"(Potential Scotts Bluff County jurors) will know something about the case," Mowbray said. "Obviously, (the case) was on the national news. We won't get away from that, but we'll have an easier time ... of finding 12 jurors in Scotts Bluff County."
A pre-trial conference in the case has been scheduled for Feb. 2. Lopez remains jailed, but will be transferred to the Scotts Bluff County Detention Center. He had been held in Dawes County since an earlier county court appearance, but Mowbray said authorities indicated they planned to move Lopez on Tuesday.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20111018/NEWS97/710189891/1004

Kerra Wilson wasn’t in the Sioux County courtroom where her step-father was sentenced to life in prison, but her family made sure she wasn’t forgotten.

Kerra’s 8-year-old smiling face beamed out from shirts as family members filed in to the courtroom Feb. 24 to witness the sentencing for the man who made it impossible for Kerra to be there. Salvador Lopez, 32, will serve out a life sentence with the Nebraska Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole for killing Kerra in September 2011.



Kerra, a third grader at Mitchell Elementary, was reported missing Sept. 21, 2011. Lopez claimed he had dropped his step-daughter at school, but she never made it to class. Law enforcement launched a search for her and eventually arrested Lopez after discovering Kerra’s body in a remote area of southern Sioux County.

Lopez pled guilty to murder in December as part of a plea bargain that removed the death penalty as a possible sentence.

The sentencing hearing was brief, since Lopez’s guilty plea to murder left just one option for sentencing according to Nebraska law.

“This is a rare situation where the court has no discretion,” said Sioux County Attorney Adam Edmund. The harsh sentence is not only required but justified, he added.

“The defendant first took Kerra’s innocence and then took Kerra’s life,” Edmund said. “The family, especially Kerra’s mother, Amanda, has suffered untold grief and sorrow.”

Prosecutors say Lopez sexually assaulted Kerra and then killed her to cover up that crime.

Lopez’s attorney, Jerry Soucie from the Nebraska Commission for Public Advocacy, simply told the court that Lopez had provided a written statement to the court expressing his remorse.

“It is hard for him … to explain his actions,” Soucie said.

Lt. Monica Bartling of the Nebraska State Patrol spoke for the family after the hearing.

“The family is very happy,” Bartling said. “There were concerns that would be a chance for parole, and that’s not the case and he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. That’s where he needs to be.”

The conclusion of the case means closure for the family.

“Now they can work at healing,” she said.

The plea bargain that allowed the resolution of the case without a trial was a positive move, from Bartling’s perspective.

“I think (a trial) would have scarred our community more.” A trial may have ended with the same sentence but would have exposed the communities involved to graphic, traumatic details, she explained. The case was a difficult one for all of the law enforcement officers involved.

“This is done. Mr. Lopez can’t hurt anybody anymore. We did our job right,” Bartling said.

As for Kerra’s family, they must carry forward without her.

“They deal with Kerra’s loss every day,” Bartling said.

Kerra was the oldest child, and they have to explain to her younger siblings why Kerra is gone.

“She was happy-go-lucky, a great big sister. They miss her questions. They miss her smile.”

Read more: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/communities/chadron/life-sentence-set-for-girl-s-murder/article_d2dd7aa4-623b-11e1-8e22-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1njbyhIiK