Police: Teen allegedly tries to hire hitman to kill 7-year-old
STORM LAKE, Iowa (KCAU) -- A 17-year-old is facing a felony charge after officials said she allegedly attempted to order a hit on a 7-year-old.
According to a release from the Storm Lake Police Department, officials were contacted Friday for a report at midnight of someone visiting a parody website called "rentahitman.com" with the intention to hire someone to kill a young child.
The webmaster of the website told officials the person had allegedly visited the website two times and provided the child's private information including their name and location.
The release stated an investigation was launched immediately and officials were able to identify the child and a possible suspect. An officer went undercover and posed as a hitman while making contact with the suspect.
The officer was able to confirm that their potential suspect allegedly wanted their target killed. The 17-year-old suspect was taken into custody Friday afternoon and further interviews were conducted. Officials were able to determine that the solicitation was a 'credible threat' against the child.
The 17-year-old was charged with one count of solicitation to commit murder, a class C felony, and was referred to juvenile court.
The release noted that the victim and the victim's family were unaware of the potential threat. The investigation is ongoing.