Hailey Owens' Body Found: Coach Craig Michael Wood Arrested for Murdering Missouri 10-Year-Old (VIDEO)
Hailey Owens, the 10-year-old Springfield, Missouri girl who was considered missing after disappearing was reportedly found dead in the home of school coach Craig Michael Wood. Owens was reported missing Tuesday after vanishing while walking to her friend's house around 5 p.m. about a block away.
Hailey Owens' disappearance caused an Amber Alert, which led to police suspecting and searching the home of Craig Michael Wood, a 45-year-old football coach and teacher's aide in the Springfield School District. She had been shot in the head, prosecuting attorney Dan Patterson told the Associated Press.
Neighbors Michelle Edwards and her husband spotted a gold 2008 Ford Ranger stop and snatch the girl up off of the sidewalk and quickly called 911 to report the license plate and what happened. Another neighbor, Ricky Riggins, said he tried to chase the truck after another neighbor failed to pull the girl away.
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"I couldn't keep up," he told the Springfield News-Leader. "He was probably five to six cars ahead of me … it was so fast."
Unfortunately, by the time police traced the car back to Wood and found the car in his driveway, the girl they believe to be Owens was dead.
What is believed to be the 10-year-old's body was found in two trash bags inside plastic storage containers in Wood's basement, according to the Associated Press. The floor still had bleach on it when authorities arrived.
Wood was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action. The coach and fourth-grade student apparently didn't know each other: he worked at Pleasant View School, while she attended Westport Elementary School.
