Search Continues for Child's Killer

By Margaret Lyons in News on Jul 16, 2008 4:31PM

More details are emerging in Mya Lyons's murder today. Her autopsy showed that she was not sexually assaulted, and police say her father, Richard Lyons, is not a suspect.

The 9-year-old had gone to bed about 11 p.m. Monday after telling her grandmother she was tired and wanted to sleep. About 10 minutes later, the family heard a door shut. The noise drew the girl's father downstairs to investigate, relatives said.

After quickly discovering Mya wasn't in the house, relatives went outside to search for her. About 15 minutes later, Richard Lyons Sr. found his daughter wounded in a secluded alley near their home. His anguished screams awoke the quiet South Side street where the family has lived for more than two decades.

Mya's family says she was scared of the alley behind her father's house, and wouldn't have left the house by herself at night. Police say Mya's killer was probably familiar with the neighborhood and hope someone on the tight-knit block saw the offender. [S-T, WBBM, Trib, CBS]