SIDNEE STEPHENS - 15 yo (2010) - Pinckeyville (SE of St Louis) IL

PERRY COUNTY -- Police are still trying to identify a body found in a Perry County Creek.
Two fishermen found a young woman's body around five Sunday night in the
Beaucoup Creek along Cudgetown Road. That section of road was closed
for 17 hours as investigators worked in the area.
Police hope to know the exact cause of death and identification of the young woman sometime Monday night.
A three hour autopsy was performed on the body Monday. Investigators
say the water and high heat is making identifying the body more
difficult. Perry County Sheriff Keith Kellerman says the body was badly
decomposed, floating in the water.
A dive team was brought in to look for evidence.
Authorities don't want to speculate but the young woman matches the
description of a 15 year old Pinckneyville teen who's been missing for a
week now.
"We have been in contact with that family, we've interviewed that family
and we're using whatever information they can give us to see if this is
her," says Kellerman.
Some residents who live along Beaucoup Creek tell us they're on alert until police decide whether foul-play was involved.

Perry County Sheriff Keith Kellerman said the investigation into death
of a young woman whose body was found late Sunday in Beaucoup Creek west
of Du Quoin is focusing on dental records.

The victim’s name has not been released. Kellerman said there is
evidence from the scene which indicates the death may not have been a
suicide. A three-hour autopsy was conducted Monday morning on the badly
decomposed body.

Internet posts and blogs are full of speculation that the body is that of a
15-year-old Pinckneyville teen who went missing earlier in the month,
was returned home and has been missing for a week since. “I know,” said
Kellerman, referring to the speculation.

Kellerman met with task force members late Monday to look at the
totality of information gathered so far. “We hope to gather enough
information to be able to give you a definite answer soon,” Kellerman
said. “I have no idea how long that will take.”

Police confirm the body found in a Perry County creek is that of a
15-year-old run away. They are now investigating the death as a homicide.

Missing teen Sidnee Stephens has officially been located.
According to family, her body was identified by her lip ring and necklace.

"Well the body was in tact but there was a lot of decomposition because
of the temperature outside and the water" said Sheriff Keith Kellerman.

Police are trying to determine if Sidnee's body was dumped into the Beaucoup Creek south of Pinckneyville.

"She had been missing for right at a week," says Kellerman.

When the family first reported Sidnee's disappearance, no alert had been issued.
After all, the teen had run away before.

Her family worried about her mental state and say she was on medication.
As part of her description, they even included the several scars on the inside of both forearms.

Police believed Sidney was in "no immediate danger."

Police have not yet named any suspects in the case.

No word yet on funeral arrangements.

Sidnee was a student at Pinckneyville High School.

Pinckneyville IL ----
The body of a teenage girl found floating in the Beaucoup Creek by a
fisherman Sunday has been identified as Sidnee Stephens, a 15-year-old Pinckneyville runaway.
Dental records, a lip ring and a necklace were helpful in identifying
the remains of a girl who lived a troubled adolescent life marked at some point by self-mutilation.



What began as a suicide investigation Sunday is now a homicide
investigation, and Perry County Sheriff Keith Kellerman and task force
investigators seem driven to find out why the girl's life was literally
thrown away and by whom.
Investigators are focused on the possibility the girl was murdered and
her body thrown into Beaucoup Creek in central Perry County. That creek
is a small inland waterway that feeds into the Big Muddy River and
ultimately into the Mississippi River.
Sidnee's body was found at 5 p.m. Sunday in the water near a bridge off
of Cudgetown Road, a rocked, rural bypass between Illinois 152 west of
Du Quoin and Illinois 13/127 in the Beaucoup bottoms south of Pinckneyville.
A relative's posting on the social website "Facebook" says the girl was
"shot," but investigators are avoiding all the trappings of releasing
too much information to the public at the present time.
Authorities even delayed the release of her identity, not wanting to
fall victim to the same thing that happened to Arizona medical personnel
who mixed up the identities of two girls (one of them a University of
Evansville student-athlete) involved in a car crash. There, one lived
and one died, ending in unimaginable heartbreak for one of the families.
Tuesday's press release from the sheriff's department was short:
"On Tuesday, July 27, 2010 positive identification was made on a body
that was discovered in Beaucoup Creek at Cudgetown Road south of Pinckneyville.
"Investigation shows the body of a 15-year-old runaway juvenile of
Pinckneyville. Due to the age of the victim, her name is being withheld.
Family of the deceased was notified midday Tuesday.
"The death investigation has been shifted to a homicide investigation
and investigators are continuing to follow leads, conducting interviews
and gathering evidence."
Regardless, the body--now that of a murder victim--is Sidnee Stephens,
the teen who went missing for several days in June, was later found in
Litchfield, Ill. and was returned home on or about June 23.
More recently, she had been gone about a week. A three-hour autopsy on
Monday morning points to the body having been in the water for several
days.
The heat, humidity and tepid creek water sped the decomposition. The
office of Coroner Paul Searby had no thought of releasing the remains to
a funeral home until every aspect of the forensic work was completed by
a Belleville lab and state police investigators.
A section of the nearby Cudgetown Road was closed for 17 hours Sunday
while Illinois State Police crime scene investigators and local law
enforcement personnel went about the painstaking work of processing the area.
Friends paint a picture of a troubled teen whose disorder known as
"cutting" in junior high resulted in her being transferred from the
Pinckneyville school system to an alternative school. The tell-tale
scars of that disorder could be seen.
She had been on medication, lived an on again, off again relationship
with her own family and a boyfriend. She is said to have broken up with him in recent weeks.
All around her had hoped she could return to academic life this fall as a junior at Pinckneyville Community High School.
But, if a Facebook posting which states that "Sidnee was shot" is true,
the investigation stops being a psychological assessment of her life and shifts to hard core forensics.
Pinckneyville Chief of Police John Griffin said he simply cannot
comment. He could not even confirm that the victim is Sidnee Stephens.
The feverish schedule is obvious. Investigators who typically do all
they can to help the media are largely inaccessible. Everyone connected
has either been on the phone or tracking down evidence, interviews and
leads, hoping they point to a person or persons of interest.
The sheriff's department says information will be released as it is
assembled so long as it does not jeopardize the case being assembled.

A teenager's body was discovered in an Illinois creek has initiated
a homicide investigation in Perry County.
"Those kinds of things usually don't happen in a town this small,"
said Dehlila Gifford, who manages a store in Pinckneyville.
It's where just 5,500 people live and are often found frequenting
local shops not only for goods, but also for information about the
happenings of their town.
"Some ladies that were in today were saying that it's kind of scary
and they're scared for their grandchildren and children," Gifford said.
She said the latest news is of the body found in an area creek
that has now been identified as a runaway teen.
"Should you be concerned about what happened? Hell, yes, because it
could happen again," said Perry County Sheriff Keith Kellerman. "I'm
not saying that this person of the suspect will do it again, but it's
always capable."
Kellerman's department got involved late Sunday. That's when two
fishermen took Cudgetown Road to get to Beaucoup Creek Bridge, where
they spotted the girl's body, which investigators determined had been
there for several days.
Dental records later lead them to a 15-year-old soon-to-be sophomore,
whose parents reported her a runaway a week before. "We'd like to know
who she was with in the last days of her life 'cause it could be very important to us," the sheriff said.
"It's really sad to think that our children think they can run away
and they're gonna be safe because they're not," said Gifford. "I know
sometimes home isn't the best place in the world but in a situation like
this, it would've been the best place for her."

Sheriff Kellerman wouldn't say how the girl was killed as it is part of the investigation.
If you have any information that could help, call Crimestoppers at 1-888-371-TIPS.

Two local teenagers have been arrested in connection with the death of a 15-year-old Pinckneyville runaway.
Carl Dane was arrested at the Perry County Sheriff's Department late
Wednesday while being interviewed as a "person of interest" in the
investigation.
Carl Dane

James Glazier, 17, was arrested Thursday afternoon.
Perry County Sheriff Keith Kellerman said both are being charged with
first-degree murder in the death of Sidnee Stephens, and other charges
may be forthcoming. Dane is being held without bond.
"He was an acquaintance," said Kellerman. "At one time I think there was a relationship."
The task force that has been investigating the case is scheduling a
press conference for later this afternoon at the sheriff's office.
Kellerman said investigators have been able to narrow the time of the
girl's death to the first part of the week of July 19, shortly after she
was reported missing.
Sidnee's body was found at 5 p.m. Sunday in the water near a bridge off
of Cudgetown Road, a rocked, rural bypass between Illinois 152 west of
Du Quoin and Illinois 13/127 in the Beaucoup bottoms west of Du Quoin.
The sheriff said as much information as he can release will be conveyed during the press conference.
It is believed that Stephens was shot--perhaps as many as three
times--and her weighted body was dumped into the creek, but whatever was
used to secure her had come undone, according to information from the
family.
A memorial service will be held for Sidnee at 7 p.m. Saturday at Oak
Grove Baptist Church in Pinckneyville. Visitation is from 5-7 p.m. A
private interment will be in Sunset Memorial Park in Du Quoin.

Perry County authorities say three people are accused in the shooting and
strangulation death of a runaway teenage girl.

Eighteen-year-old Carl Dane and 17-year-old
James Glazier, both of the southern Illinois town of Pinckneyville, made
their first court appearances Friday on charges of first-degree murder.
A 15-year-old also is charged, but his name was not released.

Glazier said in court he will hire an
attorney, while Dane will be represented by a Washington County
attorney. An Aug. 27 hearing was set.

Investigators say Glazier and Dane were
acquaintances of 15-year-old Sidnee Stephens of Pinckneyville. She had
been missing from her home for nearly a week before her body was found
last weekend in a creek near Pinckneyville.

The third suspect in the murder of an Illinois runaway will be tried as
an adult. Robby Mueller of Pinckneyville became the third teen to be
charged in the death of Sidnee Stephens.
The 15-year-old girl had been missing for a week before her body was found in an area creek.
Two other teens, 18-year-old Carl Dane and 17-year-old James Glazier, also face charges of murder.
The 15-year-old Mueller is being held without bond.

Two of the Pinckneyville teens charged in the death of Sidnee Stephens head to court.
15-year-old Robbie Mueller and 17-year-old James Glazier are both being tried as adults, facing first degree murder charges.



The teens are accused of shooting and strangling 15-year-old Sidnee Stephens last month.
While both teens were scheduled for a preliminary hearing, it didn't happen for either of them.
James Glazier simply waved his right for a prelim and is due back in court in October.
However, Robbie Mueller is asking for a psychological evaluation before
things go any further. His lawyer is concerned the teen is mentally
unfit to stand trial.
"His father was brutally killed at age four and he's had problems since that date," says Mueller Attorney Charles Stegmeyer.
He says Mueller has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and has suffered
several episodes while being held at the Perry County Jail.
"He's had some black-outs he's had reoccurring nightmares, he's lost 30 pounds. These are things of concern," says Stegmeyer.
For those reasons, the court has stalled until a psychological evaluation can be done
"I want somebody to tell me Robbie mentally understands his constitutional rights," says Stegmeyer.
Mueller's family says he's being kept in solitary confinement and has
only been out of his cell twice for exercise. They're also concerned
about him missing high school.
"We could request the court to allow someone to come in and help him
with his grades so if in fact he's released in some fashion he hasn't
totally lost this school year," says Stegmeyer.
The Stephen family is less than sympathetic.
Sidnee's grieving mother had this to say:
"It's not sunk in my daughter's not coming home yet," says Tracy Stephens.
Mueller is expected to request a change of venue.
His attorney believes it's unlikely the teen get a fair jury in Perry County.
But Sindnee's family is determined the trials of all three teens happen in Pinckneyville.
"This happened in Perry County, by Perry County people. I want it to stay right here in Perry County," says Stephens.

One of three teenagers accused in the death of a
runaway girl in southern Illinois has pleaded not guilty, and a second
defense attorney has been assigned to his case.


18-year-old Carl Dane entered the pleas Wednesday in Perry County to first-degree murder and other charges.


Dane is charged along with 17-year-old James Glazier and
15-year-old Robbie Mueller in the July killing of 15-year-old Sidnee
Stephens of Pinckneyville.


Stephens had been missing from her home for nearly a
week before her body was found in a creek near Pinckneyville.
Authorities say she had been shot and strangled.


A pretrial hearing was set for Jan. 7 for Dane.

Sister of Pinckneyville murder victim arrested

Posted: Sep 16, 2010 3:34 AM Wednesday, September 15, 2010 11:34 s

Sister of Pinckneyville murder victim arrested 1:53

4th teen arrested in Pinckneyville murder 0:48

Dakota Wall (Source: Perry Co. Sheriff's Department)
Sidnee Stephens
Click image to enlarge

Related Links
Sister of Pinckneyville murder victim arrested

By Heartland NewsPINCKNEYVILLE, IL (KFVS) - The sister of a teen murdered in July has been arrested in connection with the murder.Dakota L. Wall, 18, is charged with obstructing justice in the death of 15-year-old Sidnee Stephens of Pinckneyville.Wall is accused knowingly furnishing false information to Perry County law enforcement by telling them she had no knowledge of the circumstances of Stephens' death when she was informed of the circumstances of the Stephens' murder.Wall was listed as a sister of Stephens in Stephens' obituary from Pyatt Funeral Home.Three teens: 15-year-old Robby Mueller, 18-year-old Carl Dane and 17-year-old James Glaizer face murder charges. Dane is eligible for the death penalty.A fisherman found Stephens' body floating in the Beaucoup Creek around 5 p.m. Sunday, July 25.Wall was arrested Tuesday on her 18th birthday.Bond is set at $50,000. Ten percent applies.http://www.kfvs12.com/Global/story.asp?S=13158275

Sister of slain teenage runaway, accused of lying to cops, free on bond


PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A southern Illinois teen accused of lying to investigators about her runaway sister's killing is free on reduced bond.

KFVS-TV reports that 18-year-old Dakota Wall of Pinckneyville was released to her grandparents' custody after her bond was halved to $25,000.

Perry County prosecutors last week charged Wall with obstructing justice. Investigators say she falsely told investigators that she had no knowledge about the circumstance surrounding the killing of her sister, 15-year-old Sidnee Stephens of Pinckneyville.
Stephens had been missing for nearly a week when her body was found in July in a creek.

Three other teens are accused in Stephens' death.

Wall couldn't be reached for comment. She has no home telephone listing, and court records don't show if she has an attorney.
Information from: KFVS-TV, http://www.kfvs12.com

New Charges, Details in Sidnee Stephens Case


Nov 26, 2010

Pinckneyville, Ill. —

Amended complaints filed Wednesday by Perry County States Attorney David Stanton now charge the three defendants in the case with kidnapping Pinckneyville teen Sidnee Stephens from her home on or about July 18 or 19, 2010.

The state’s attorney alleges in the amended complaints that defendants Carl Dane, Robbie Mueller and James Glazier “knowingly, by use of force carried Signee Stephens from her home (at 401 West Water Street) to the Beaucoup Creek Bridge on Cudgetown Road, Pinckneyville, Perry County, Illinois with the intent to secretly confine her against her will.”

Stephens’ body was found by a fisherman in the creek shortly after the alleged murder.
Three have been charged in the death and a stepsister has been charged with concealment of the death.

All defendants are now charged with amended wording throughout the complaints.

All are charged with first degree murder in that they “shot Sidnee Stephens with a firearm or strangled her, causing her death, aggravated kidnapping, home invasion, residential burglary and concealment of a homicidal death.

The residential burglary charge says the three “knowingly and without authority, entered into the dwelling place of Sidnee Stephens at 401 West Water Street with the intent to commit therein the felony aggravated kidnapping.”

The three are charged with concealment of a homicidal in that the three “with knowledge that Sidnee Stephens had died by homicidal means, concealed the death of Sidnee Stephens by attaching a concrete block to the body of Sidnee Stephens with a strap and positioning the body of Sidnee Stephens under the Beaucoup Creek Bridge on Cudgetown Road in Pinckneyville.
http://www.duquoin.com/newsnow/x1743702940/New-Charges-Details-in-Sidnee-Stephens-Case

Carl Dane Waves Speedy Trial


Case Placed on March Jury Docket



Jan 07, 2011Pinckneyville, Ill. —

Carl Dane waived his right to a speedy trial and asked to have his case continued to the March jury docket.

Dane was in court Friday morning with his attorneys Ethan Scaggs, Brian Trentman and Tim Capps.

Circuit Judge James Campanella made sure Dane understood the charges he faces and the range of penalties associated with them.

He also clarified that waiving his right to a speedy trial means he will remain in jail until March when his trial is set to begin.

Sidnee Stephens was found dead in the Beaucoup Creek in July 25, 2010.

Three young men from Pinckneyville have been accused of breaking into her home on Water Street, kidnapping then shooting and/or strangling her before attempting to weigh down and dispose of her body in the creek.

Carl Dane, 18, and James E. Glazier, 17, both of Pinckneyville, have been charged with two counts of first degree murder, kidnapping, residential burglary and concealment of a homicide.

Glazier waived his right to a speedy trial and asked to be placed on the March jury docket, as well.

Robbie Mueller, 15, Pinckneyville, has been charged with first degree murder, first degree murder (accountability), kidnapping, residential burglary and concealment of a homicide.

Mueller pleaded not guilty to all charges. His attorneys have requested a change of venue. Judge Brian Babka expects to hear the motions on change of venue in January.

Dakota Wall, 18, Pinckneyville, Stephens' half-sister, has been charged with obstruction of justice.
http://www.duquoin.com/newsnow/x250685978/Carl-Dane-Waves-Speedy-Trial

Murder Trial Will Stay in Perry County



Feb 11, 2011Pinckneyville, Ill. —

Judge Richard Aguirre denied a change of venue in the murder trial of Robbie Mueller, 15, Pinckneyville, on Thursday.

The case was turned over from Judge Brian Babka to Judge Aguirre earlier this month.

Defense attorney Charles Stegmeyer filed the motion in December.

Mueller faces 10 charges in the death of Sidnee Stephens, 15, of Pinckneyville, including four first-degree murder charges, aggravated kidnapping, home invasion, residential burglary, kidnapping and concealment of a homicidal death.

Mueller has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He is one of three defendants accused of murdering Stephens. Carl Dane, 18, and James E. Glazier, 17, both of Pinckneyville, are also facing murder charges.

Stephens' body was found in the Beaucoup Creek in July 2010.

A pre-trial hearing for Mueller is set for 9 a.m. on May 12.
http://www.duquoin.com/newsnow/x2106598389/Murder-Trial-Will-Stay-in-Perry-County