The 21-year-old uncle of a 5-year-old little girl who has been missing since May 25 has been charged with her murder.
In a new update in the search for Utah-native Elizabeth “Lizzy” Shelley, Alex Whipple has been arrested and charged with her murder after blood was reportedly found on his clothes, his watch, a knife that was missing from her house, and on the teal shirt Shelley was last seen wearing that was found buried under dirt.
That blood matched Shelley’s DNA.
As Dearly previously reported, Whipple was an original suspect in Shelley’s disappearance. According to authorities, he was at the little girl’s home at the time she went missing. Whipple was also reported to have been uncooperative with law enforcement since the investigation began.
Logan police Capt. Tyson Budge told KSL:
“He was uncooperative and he made some statements that we were able to verify as untrue very quickly into this interview because of the knowledge that we had of his whereabouts previously. Everything he had done has been quite (deceptive) and we have no reason to believe anything he told us was accurate.”
Shelley’s mom reported her missing Saturday morning when she discovered her not in her room and Whipple was gone as well.
As CBS News reports, the 21-year-old was charged with aggravated murder, child kidnapping, a first-degree felony, desecration of a human body, a third-degree felony, and two counts of obstruction of justice.
These are photos of Alex Whipple and his clothing on Friday May 24. We hope this helps you as you are checking your…
Posted by Logan City Police Department on Tuesday, May 28, 2019
A statement from a lawyer on behalf of Shelley’s family released on May 27 read:
As a family, we are overwhelmed, scared and sad at the recent tragic events that have touched our lives. We are grateful for all those who continue to search and help. We would like to thank law enforcement, volunteers and all other agencies and businesses for their tireless efforts in helping us find our daughter. Our family asks for privacy and respect during this difficult time and continue to hope for the safe return of our sweet girl Lizzy.
Shelley’s body was found just a fourth of a mile away from her home after Whipple told authorities where she was, KSL reports.