An 8-year-old missing girl was found dead in a Southern Illinois town, and authorities say the case is being investigated as a homicide.
Illinois State Police said in a statement Thursday that the girl's body was found behind a building on the south side of Olney, a town of about 9,000 people located 45 southeast of Effingham.
Authorities said the Southern Illinois Child Death Task Force is investigating, and they asked anyone with information to call Olney police.
Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Jason Bradley declined to release further details, including who reported the girl missing and when. They did not identify the girl.
The person who owns the property where the girl's body was found told WTHI-TV that police came to the property near South Camp Avenue around 9 p.m. Wednesday and asked the property owner to sign releases so they could search any buildings. The girl's body was found a short time later.
