GUILTY IL - Mya Lyons, 9, stabbed to death, Chicago, 15 July 2008

The tragically brief life of 9-year-old Mya Lyons will be celebrated Saturday with bunches of roses -- pink, of course -- at a funeral at a Southwest Side church.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1060651,CST-NWS-girl17.article

Why was little girl out so late at night?

http://www.suntimes.com/news/mitchell/1060657,CST-NWS-mitch17.article

I don't think this poor little girl ever went to bed. If everything went as quickly as it sounds, someone could have just been waiting for her in her room. That would explain why she wasn't in her pj's.

A "person of interest" is reportedly in police custody Friday afternoon for the slaying of a 9-year-old girl found dead by her father on the South Side on Tuesday.

~snip~.

A man, who is a "person of interest" and not a family member of the girl, is in police custody Friday, but no charges had been filed as of 3 p.m., according to a source.

http://www.nbc5.com/news/16924255/detail.html

It sounds like the family was at the block party, got distracted (if there was a lot of people, which there usually is at block parties and drinking) then maybe that was when the perv spotted her and grabbed her.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/mya.lyons.custody.2.774494.html
Another story about the 'person of interest'.
from the article---
"He told investigators he is a "scrapper"-- someone who collects scrap metal to sell. He allegedly admitted to police he was in the alley and said that if had stayed longer, he could have saved her, according to the source, who said the person of interest may be mentally unstable.
The wounds on Mya's body were all on her right side torso area, leading investigators to believe the crime was committed by a left-handed person, and the person of interest is left-handed, according to the source, who said the man has a cut on his right hand that dental forensics investigators believe may have been caused when Mya bit him. "

Everyone thanks for the updates. It sounds like LE has the perp, but won't announce it yet.

Look at the pic I found this morning of Mya. She was soooo cute. I keep thinking about how she had just had her first horseback riding lesson. Sounds like she was treated like a little princess by her family.

SuzieQ - I agree. She was an adorable child and it sounds as if she was well loved. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to this family.

Rest in Peace little Mya

Salem

I am just ill about this precious child's assault and death.
I hope the bastage that did this to her is shot and left for the buzzards.

I have a hinky feeling the family may have left this child alone while they attended the block party.
I hope and pray the person in custody is the perp. I think it's someone who knew the family.
OH and someone explain to me how neighbors heard Mya screaming but her family did not?!?!?

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/mya.lyons.murder.2.774869.html
Funeral Today For 9-Year-Old Murder Victim

CHICAGO (CBS) ― The funeral for Mya Lyons, a 9-year-old girl who was found stabbed to death in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood, is later today.

Police say they're questioning several people but don't have a specific "person of interest" in custody. Meantime published reports say that police have zeroed in on a specific person.

Click to expand...

Just days after he was asked by Chicago detectives to take a lie detector test, police towed a van from the home of Richard Lyons, father of slain 9-year-old Mya Lyons, Saturday morning. The seized van was likely the one used to take Mya to the hospital following the stabbing, a relative said.

The van was towed from the 8400 block of South Gilbert Court early Saturday as part of an "ongoing investigation," according to police News Affairs Officer Daniel O’Brien. Police would not identify the owner of the van.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1076243,van072608.article

What ever happened to the person of interest?

chicoliving said:

Just days after he was asked by Chicago detectives to take a lie detector test, police towed a van from the home of Richard Lyons, father of slain 9-year-old Mya Lyons, Saturday morning. The seized van was likely the one used to take Mya to the hospital following the stabbing, a relative said.

The van was towed from the 8400 block of South Gilbert Court early Saturday as part of an "ongoing investigation," according to police News Affairs Officer Daniel O’Brien. Police would not identify the owner of the van.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1076243,van072608.article

Click to expand...

I guess this means that the father may be a POI? Maybe that's why the family couldn't get the story straight (or maybe it was the media, I dunno).
Sad. I hope whoever did kill this precious little girl is found soon and punished.

JMO

Okay, so here is where the POI was released

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1065283,release072008.article

Let's get some discussion going on this case. I hate to bring up race again, but I will

I have been a member at websleuths for about 7 or 8 years now. I have said this before and I am saying it again, now with 7/8 years of experience under my belt. I feel more confident than ever in saying that time and time and time and time and again...We do not follow cases of black children with anywhere near the interest we follow cases of white children.

The rebuttals I have heard in the past are...white children's parents have more money or are more educated and know how to work the media to keep the stories out there, it's the media that isn't covering it so how can we get any information, it's not that we are interested only in white children, but we are interested in children who are exemplary or there is something special about them, etc. In the cases I have rallied for in the past, those things were all true. But Mya Lyons' story has been all over the media since 7/15. Mya Lyons was an honor student. She was very pretty, had lots of personality, and was loved by so many people. So, WHY ISN'T THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON <b>THIS</b> CASE?

On a similar note, I have seen websleuthers rally around certain cases that aren't getting enough media attention...like Meghan Landowski...and I applaud you! Can't we do the same for children that come from poor, uneducated families? Don't they need it maybe even a little more? Now, in this particular case we have no lack of media attention, I just wanted to point this out with regard to one of the previous rebuttals.

There is absolutely no reason this case shouldn't be getting daily discussion. I would love to hear what everyone thinks about the timelines being thrown around, the father finding her body, the towed van...I mean this case is FISHY!

This case is fishy and my hinky meter is running wide open.

I don't think this will turn out to be that strange. I believe it will be solved with the perp being from within the immediate neighborhood.

Unfortunately, I think so too. I hate to say it but from the beginning I've suspected the dad. I'm sorry.

The only place that I've read of this case is on webslueths.

We won't let Mya down. We'll be here for the long haul.

With all the different stories, it's hard not to suspect a family member.

I agree, the times given and the different versions just do not add up. I also suspect the father....sad to say....

For the second night in a row - Chicago Police have converged on the home of murdered 9-year-old Mya Lyons. Officers arrived at the home around 3 a.m. with a search warrant in hand. It's unclear what they were looking for, but officers were inside the house.

This morning's search happened just 24 hours after police took the family van as evidence. The 9-year-old girl was found dead in an alley by her father near his South Side home. The seized van was likely the one used to take Mya to the hospital following the stabbing, a relative said.

Chicago Police are confirming that they did tow a 2000 Chevy van from Richard Lyons' Auburn-Gresham home last night. There is no indication yet on what evidence they intend to find from it.

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/mya.lyons.richard.2.780589.html

It sounds like the father is lawyering up with cancelling his appointment with police yesterday to get legal advice instead.