DNA and thumb print led to Eaton's arrested for the 1997 murder of 14-year-old Amber Creek, whose body was found in Racine County.
By H. Nelson Goodson
April 8, 2014
Racine, WI - On Tuesday, James P. Eaton, 36, of Palatine, Illinois was booked in the Racine County jail for the 1997 brutal murder and rape of Amber Creek, 14, of Palatine. Creek's body was discovered at a wild reserve refuge by hunters 17 years ago.
Cold case investigators were able to get a discarded cigarette from Eaton at a train station while under surveillance. An Oklahoma crime lab specializing in cold cases was then able to match Eaton's DNA to some DNA found on a plastic bag left at the crime scene. Investigators were also able to match a thumb print left on the bag to Eaton in February after he was arrested and booked for another crime.
Racine County Sheriff Chistopher Schmaling in a press conference said, Eaton's thumb print was matched to the suspect. Eaton's thumb print was recovered from a plastic bag used over Creek's head to suffocate her after she was brutally beaten, raped and killed. Her body was later found in a Burlington wild life preserve in Racine County.
Eaton's bail was set at $1M and is facing charges for first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse. If convicted, Eaton is facing life in prison without parole.
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