Mourners remember Missouri 9-year-old as ‘precious little girl’ who gave to others

Mo. community mourns slain ‘precious little girl’

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Mourners wore pink and released balloons Wednesday to honor a slain 9-year-old from Missouri who was remembered at her funeral as a “precious little girl” who liked horses and music.

Hours earlier, a judge ruled that the 15-year-old suspect in Elizabeth Olten’s death would remain in juvenile custody until he decides next month whether the first-degree murder case should be tried in adult court.

Elizabeth disappeared last week on the way to her home in St. Martins from a friend’s house. She was found dead Friday in a wooded area near her house.

The Rev. Monte Shinkle, who presided at the funeral, said Elizabeth cared for others.

“She was a giver. She gave of her love to family and friends,” Shinkle said.

The fourth-grader particularly liked Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift. She also baked cookies and worked puzzles with her mother and played dress-up with her animals.

Elizabeth’s favorite color was pink, and some who attended her funeral wore pink shirts. Others wore buttons with her photo or ribbons that were pink or purple. Pallbearers wore pink ties and a pink flower. Bouquets with pink, red, white and purple flowers were placed on white stands.

During the service, a slideshow using pictures of Elizabeth was set to music.

Emergency responders and law officers involved with the search for her last week sat to the side and in the first several rows.

Two white horses pulled her casket in a glass hearse from the Jefferson City church to a nearby cemetery. Several dozen people stood along the road and released pink balloons when the funeral procession reached the entrance to the cemetery.

After a graveside service, mourners released two white doves and more pink balloons.

Earlier Wednesday, Cole County Judge Jon Beetem said the suspect in Elizabeth’s killing would remain in custody pending a decision about whether the 15-year-old should be tried as an adult or as a juvenile. An attorney for the suspect, who has not been identified, waived a scheduled detention hearing Wednesday that was to be closed to the public.

Beetem also ruled Wednesday that a Nov. 18 hearing on whether to try the teenager as an adult would be open to the public. However, the judge is barring the recording or broadcasting of that hearing and is not permitting photographs from it.

Kurt Valentine, the teen’s lawyer, said Elizabeth’s death has put Jefferson City in “turmoil,” and had argued that opening the hearing could hamper the chances for a fair trial.

“There’s been a lot of speculation, but now we will have in giant headlines my client’s name,” Valentine said. “There is no way in the world that could possibly be in the best interest of this particular juvenile.”

Samantha Green, the attorney for the juvenile office, argued that the state Supreme Court has ruled that hearings can be open for juveniles accused of crimes that would be the most serious felonies if committed by an adult. She said court records and the exhibits to be presented could be closed or sealed to protect the suspect’s privacy.

The 15-year-old was arrested Friday after leading authorities to Elizabeth’s body just west of Jefferson City. Hundreds of people had searched the area last week after she disappeared.

The Cole County Sheriff’s Department has said Elizabeth was well concealed, but have not said how she was believed to have encountered the teenager or where she was thought to have been killed. Sheriff Greg White said previously that the two lived in the same area and were acquainted but not related.