Member-only story
Nine-Year-Old Elizabeth Olten Was Murdered by Her 15-Year-Old Neighbor And Left In The Woods
Elizabeth Olten went out to play one evening and never came back.
To learn the full story, read my article on All That’s Interesting.
In a small Missouri town on October 21, 2009, 15-year-old Alyssa Bustamante persuaded her 9-year-old neighbor, Elizabeth Olten, to venture into the nearby woods with the promise of showing her a surprise. As the sun set on that fateful day, a seemingly innocent playdate request ended tragically.
Instead of innocent fun, Alyssa murdered the young girl in cold blood.
Two days later, Elizabeth’s lifeless body was found in a shallow grave in the woods, with Alyssa herself leading the authorities to the grim discovery. Soon after Elizabeth’s disappearance, the police discovered that the Alyssa was one of the last people to have seen the missing child alive.
When investigators asked her what had happened, she made a chilling confession to murder by admitting that “she wanted to know what it felt like” to kill.
