At the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA), our thoughts are with the family, friends and community of 8-year-old Leila Fowler.  The little girl was fatally stabbed inside her home in the small community of Valley Springs in Calaveras County on Saturday, April 27.

Our thoughts are also with our CSLEA members who work in the California Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Forensic Services and who, for many long hours, processed the horrific crime scene and continue to process the evidence in search of her killer.

According to Calaveras County Sheriff’s Captain Jim Macedo, a search warrant was executed at the little girl’s home Saturday night and forensic teams worked all night, throughout the morning and into the next afternoon. 

“They collected a substantial amount of evidence during the search,” said Macedo.  “We did collect some fingerprints during that search and what we believe to be DNA.”   That evidence is now being processed.

“You look at the photos of this little girl and you have to wonder, who would do such an unimaginable, unthinkable thing?” said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona.  “Our CSLEA members in the DOJ Bureau of Forensic Services do more than wonder.  They work.  They combine passion and science and I have no doubt they are doing everything than can to hand investigators what they need to find the vicious person who attacked Leila, taking her life and taking her from her family.”

The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department is urging anyone with any information to call their tip line at (209) 754-6030.

UPDATE: On May 11, 2013 after an extensive fifteen day investigation into the murder of 8 year old Leila Fowler, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Leila’s 12 year old brother on the charge of homicide.