In interviews with investigators with the Illinois State Police, Justin DeRyke said he had been in his bedroom playing video games for much of the night before leaving his room to go into the bathroom to masturbate and watch pornographic films. Upon leaving the bathroom, Long grabbed his arm to bring him downstairs to watch television and scratched DeRyke's arm, drawing blood.
DeRyke said he was angry at seeing blood and chased Long. She fled the house and ran to a brush pile. She fell into the pile and was impaled through the neck with a branch. DeRyke said Long was twitching and he "believed he had to put her out of her misery." DeRyke then slashed her throat and said he stabbed her multiple times, aiming for the heart before wrapping her body in garbage bags, sealing them with duct tape and dropping her body in a body of water south of Watson.
Kibler said the body was found by volunteers at around 7:30 p.m. Monday and a small hole in the bag revealed an elbow, with the size of the bags indicating the remains inside may be those of a child. The bags were not opened at the scene and were instead sent to St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital for an autopsy.
The autopsy identified the body as Willow Long's and revealed multiple cuts, including a slash across her throat, two stab wounds across her chest bone, one which severed her subclavical vein and was the probable cause of death, and multiple cuts across her arms, indicating that there may have been a struggle.
With the evidence available, Judge Sherri L.T. Lungate ruled probable cause for three counts of first degree murder had been established and set DeRyke's bond at $5 million with the stipulation that he not return to the family's home in Watson, have contact with Ciara DeRyke or Nathan Grant and would not have contact with anyone under the age of 18. The sentencing for those charges range from 20 to 100 years in prison or could be ruled as a life sentence.
From the Effingham Daily Newspaper online.
Interesting that the autospy doesn't say anything about a puncture wound to the neck that traveled to the brain and looks like it was caused by a stick. That stupid stick story still has me fuming.