Body of missing teenager found in dumpster; sex offender charged
DEKALB, Ill. (WIFR/Gray News) - An Illinois man is facing charges, including first-degree murder, after police say they found the body of a missing 15-year-old girl in a dumpster near his home.
Police found 15-year-old Gracie Sasso-Cleveland’s body in a dumpster Sunday, just three days after she was reported missing. The DeKalb County Coroner’s Office determined her cause of death was asphyxiation.
Bethany McCall described her reaction to Sasso-Cleveland’s death using words like “shock” and “disbelief.” The teenager used to babysit McCall’s son, according to WIFR.
“You never think something like this would happen to someone so close to you,” McCall said. “She was a good girl. She didn’t go out and do bad stuff or party, like lots of kids her age would. I don’t even think she’s been in trouble with the cops.”
McCall remembers Sasso-Cleveland as bright and warm.
“Hanging out with her and my son, going to the park,” she said. “She was always fun running around with him. She’d always make him laugh and that made me laugh. We would go camping and hiking quite a bit together.”
Police say Timothy Doll, a 29-year-old registered sex offender, faces several charges in relation to Sasso-Cleveland’s death, including first-degree murder, concealment of a homicide, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and domestic battery. The dumpster in which the teenager’s body was found is located next to Doll’s residence, according to police.
“For the family and everybody who loved this young girl, you have our heartfelt condolence from the DeKalb Police Department,” Police Chief David Byrd said.
Doll was taken into custody Sunday after police say they found evidence linking him to an alleged romantic relationship with Sasso-Cleveland. He is accused of trying to cover up her death by putting her body in the dumpster and throwing her phone away nearby, WIFR reports.
Byrd said that Doll became a person of interest after Sasso-Cleveland went missing from her home, and phone records connected her to the area in which the suspect lives.
Authorities first learned about the missing teen Saturday night. Her family hadn’t seen her since Thursday.
“I know this hurts. I see the pain on my officers, detectives and police officers who were feverishly looking for this young lady,” Byrd said.
McCall set up a GoFundMe for the teen’s family. Donations will go toward cremation costs, the celebration of life and to help pay for travel, as most of the family lives in Washington state.
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Source: Dakota News Now
