An Illinois man was charged with the murder of his niece after he divulged information about the girl’s disappearance over the weekend to authorities.
The Effingham County's State Attorney's Office court documents state that 22-year-old Justin DeRyke said he was babysitting his 7-year-old niece Willow Long and her 3-year-old brother when Long grabbed his arm, wanting him to watch television with her. DeRyke said that she scratched his arm by accident, causing him to bleed, KMOV reports.
DeRyke then said that he lost his temper and yelled at his niece, frightening her before chasing her out into the yard. Long reportedly then fell onto a brush pile and one of the sticks pierced her neck.
What DeRyke said he did next was an act of mercy, according to his statement. He grabbed a knife and slit his niece’s throat before stabbing her several times, killing her in order to end what he saw as her suffering.
Long was not seen after that. Her mother, who had been napping, reportedly returned to the living room later, only to find her daughter missing.
CNN reports that more than 300 people volunteered to help find Long after she disappeared on Sunday. Her body was finally recovered Monday night, out of the Little Wabash River.
DeRyke had wrapped her body in garbage bags, sealing them up with duct tape before disposing of it, according to police.
Long’s autopsy revealed marks on her hands that indicated sigh of some sort of struggle, as well as the cut to her throat and stab wounds that had severed one of her veins.
DeRyke, was charged on Wednesday with three counts of first-degree murder, and was also given a $5 million jail bond, according to ABC News.