BLACKSBURG, Va – Blacksburg police officials confirmed that a second Virginia Tech student, who is related to the abduction and death of Nicole Madison Lovell, has been arrested on Sunday morning for collaborating in the dispose of the remains of the 13-year-old Blacksburg girl.
Police Lieutenant Mike Albert said that Natalie Marie Keepers, a sophomore at school, was arrested off campus and was charged with a felony for collaborating in the crime. Virginia State Police found the body of Nicole Madison Lovell on Saturday near Route 89 in Surry County, after four days of investigation.
Earlier on Saturday, David Eisenhauer, an 18-year-old Virginia Tech Student, was arrested and charged with abduction and murder in the case. According to law enforcement officials, Eisenhauer knew Madison Lovell, but more details about their relationship were not identified.
Both engineering students at Virginia Tech are being held at the Montgomery County jail without bond. Eisenhauer of Columbia was first accused of abducting Lovell, however, after police found her body, he was charged for murder.
“This has been an extremely fast investigation within the just past 12 hours. And we still have a great deal to do as there are multiple interviews to conduct and evidence to collected and analyzed as we reconstruct the timeline of events leading up to Nicole’s tragic death.” Police Chief Anthony Wilson said in a news release on Sunday.
The 13-year-old girl was reported as missed on Wednesday, it appears that she escaped from home by climbing out a window, her family said. According to a report, she had received a liver transplant and she needed daily medicine intake.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, FBI Charlotte, N.C., Field Office, and the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office are collaborating with the Blacksburg police in the investigation, according to the Washington Post.
Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said in a statement that he wanted to reassure Lovell’s family that the Virginia Tech community was supportive and resilient. Blacksburg Police Chief Anthony Wilson, also made declarations and said that crimes like the occurred rip communities apart and people should deserve respect.
Tammy Weeks, who is Nicole’s mother, said to the WSP on Sunday that she was shocked that someone took the live of her daughter. The little girl was described by her mom as a typical student that did not like to go to school because she was bullied.
Source: Washington Post