Page 26 - Minister Michelle Hooyboer Winklaar
P. 26
U.S. NEWS A5
Monday 1 February 2016
2 Virginia Tech students arrested in death of 13-year-old
BLACKSBURG, Virginia (AP) were found. This undated photo provided by the Blacksburg Police Depart-
— Two Virginia Tech en- The girl had been missing ment shows Virginia Tech student David Eisenhauer, left, and
gineering students have since last week. Her family Natalie Keepers, right, who were arrested in connection with the
been arrested in connec- says she disappeared after death of Nicole Madison Lovell.
tion with the death of a pushing a dresser in front
13-year-old girl whose dis- of her bedroom door and Associated Press
appearance last week climbing out a window.
from her Virginia home Lovell’s family members and researchers had assist- Sunday. A message left at
set off a frantic, four-day did not immediately return ed in the search for Lovell. Keepers’ home in Laurel,
search. messages seeking com- The school said in a state- Maryland was not immedi-
Blacksburg Police say Da- ment Sunday. ment Saturday that he has ately returned. Officials at
vid Eisenhauer, 18, was been suspended from the the county jail where the
arrested Saturday and Davy Draper, who said university. two are being held would
charged with first-degree he’s a close family friend A number listed for Eisen- not say whether either sus-
murder and abduction in who knew Lovell most of hauer’s parents was busy pect has a lawyer.q
the death of Nicole Madi- her life, said she had a liver
son Lovell, who disap- transplant when she was
peared from her home a child and had to take
Wednesday. Natalie Keep- daily medication. But de-
ers, 19, of Laurel, Maryland, spite her health problems,
was arrested Sunday and Draper said Lovell was an
faces charges of improper energetic and outspoken
disposal of a body and ac- girl who got along with ev-
cessory after the fact in the eryone.
commission of a felony. “She was an awesome little
Both are being held with- girl. She was an angel here
out bond at the Montgom- on Earth and she’s an an-
ery County Jail. gel now,” Draper said.
“Based on the evidence Eisenhauer was as a stand-
collected to date, inves- out track and field athlete
tigators have determined in high school, who was
that Eisenhauer and Nicole named Boys Indoor Track
were acquainted prior to Performer of the Year by
her disappearance. Eisen- the Baltimore Sun newspa-
hauer used this relation- per in March. The Sun said
ship to his advantage to Eisenhauer had moved to
abduct the 13-year-old Columbia from Yakima,
and then kill her. Keepers Washington state, for his ju-
helped Eisenhauer dispose nior year.
of Nicole’s body,” Blacks- Joe Keating, who said he
burg police said in a state- was a co-captain along-
ment. side Eisenhauer on the Wil-
Virginia State Police lo- de Lake High School track
cated Lovell’s remains Sat- team, described him as a
urday afternoon in Surry normal kid who seemed to
County, North Carolina, enjoy being at school and
just over the Virginia bor- never started any prob-
der. Hours later, police lems. Keating said he’s
announced the arrest of “appalled” by the thought
Eisenhauer, a freshman that Eisenhauer could be
from Columbia, Maryland. involved in Lovell’s death.
The Roanoke Times news- “All of my friends that knew
paper quoted Blacksburg him, that graduated with
Police Chief Anthony Wil- him, as well as everyone
son as saying that Eisen- on the team, we’re just in
hauer has not confessed total shock about this en-
to involvement in Lovell’s tire thing. We would never
death and did not give po- have seen this coming,”
lice information that led to Keating said.
the discovery of her body. Virginia Tech said on its
Police initially charged website that Eisenhauer
Eisenhauer with abduction; was a freshman engineer-
he was charged with mur- ing major at the school and
der after the girl’s remains that hundreds of students
