A missing 13-year-old Beaverton, Oregon girl was found dead in a park Tuesday about 24 hours after her mother reported her disappearance, police said.
Beaverton officers were called to the Westside Regional Trail, near the intersection of Southwest Barrows Road and Horizon Boulevard, about 3 p.m. for what they described as “suspicious circumstances.” There, they found the body of Milana Li in a small stream off the Westside Regional Trail. Barrows Park is less than a mile from the girl’s home and school.
The sixth grader had been missing since 1 p.m. Monday, police said.
An autopsy found Li had died in a homicide, police said late Wednesday, but they didn’t disclose how she was killed.
Police have received dozens of tips and are following several leads, they said, but didn’t elaborate other than to note in a statement: “Investigators do not believe there is a continued threat to our community.”
Earlier Wednesday, remnants of yellow police tape lay in grass on a wood fence along the paved trail. A dirt bush-lined pathway leads downhill to a secluded forested area littered with cans and bottles and a couple abandoned tires. Down below, a cold water stream about one to two feet deep and 10 feet wide was marked by yellow forensic flags appearing to indicate the area where Li’s body was discovered. A few of the flags were submerged and other lined the muddy bank.
At Southwest Barrows Road and Horizon Boulevard, a small memorial was forming on a traffic light post. Flowers, candles, a bag of kettle corn chips and a card that read “Rest in pease Milana” sat neatly on the sidewalk. Barrows Road is a popular traffic route near residential complexes and shopping centers in the Southwest Beaverton neighborhood. The trail is easily visible in daylight from the thoroughfare.
Li was last seen at her family’s apartment near Southwest Murray Boulevard and Scholls Ferry Road wearing plaid pajama pants, a dark hooded sweatshirt and Converse shoes. In a missing persons alert, police said Li’s first language was Russian but she spoke some English, a second language she “struggled with.”
Her mother told police she had a cellphone but that it was likely turned off. The mother also said Li was not familiar with TriMet. Police initially called Li a runaway.
Police have asked anyone with information about the case to contact Detective Cindy Herring at 503-526-2280.
In an email sent to parents at Conestoga Middle School, where Li attended, Principal Zan Hess said administrators had planned to announce Li’s death with extra counselors to support students and staff. The school posted a graphic of their mascot logo, a paw print, changed to purple, Li’s favorite color.
“There are no words to express the grief of losing a child,” Hess said, offering other mental health resources for parents.
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