A 24-year-old Danvers High School teacher has been found dead, and a 14-year-old boy is facing a murder charge in the case, Essex County prosecutors said this morning.
Colleen Ritzer’s body was found in the woods behind the school, said Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. Citing state law, Blodgett did not name the suspect.
The suspect had been reported missing Tuesday after he did not return home from school. Ritzer was reported missing at about 11:20 p.m. Tuesday when she did not return home and did not answer her cellphone.
Police searched the school and found blood in a second-floor bathroom. Ritzer’s body was found later behind the school, Blodgett said.
“She was a very, very, respected, loved teacher. … It’s a terrible tragedy for the entire Danvers community,” Blodgett said.
The juvenile was found by Topsfield police at 12:30 a.m. today walking north on the southbound side of Route 1. He is to be arraigned today in juvenile court.
Asked if the juvenile would be charged as an adult, Blodgett said, “We are going to take a hard look at that, obviously.”
He said authorities had no reason to believe there were any other suspects.
Citing state law protecting the records of juvenile offenders, he released few further details of the investigation, declining to comment on whether the suspect knew Ritzer, when the suspect was linked to the teacher’s slaying, and how Ritzer died.
Danvers police issued a tweet at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday, saying they were looking for a 14-year-old named Philip Chism. Chism had recently relocated to Danvers from Tennessee, police said on their Facebook page. The posting said the he had last been seen at the Hollywood Hits theater on Endicott Street around 6:30 p.m.
Police tweeted at 7:16 a.m. today that Chism had been found safe.
Blodgett would not confirm that Chism was the teenager who was the suspect in Ritzer’s slaying.
All classes in Danvers public schools were canceled this morning due to the investigation. The academic wing of the school is blocked off with crime scene tape.
Town officials called parents at about 4:45 a.m. today, saying only that there was a police presence at the school and schools were canceled.
Sitting in a car parked across from the school, two students said they were stunned and terrified to hear what had happened.
“We are all terrified. It’s very scary,” said Caitlin McBride, a junior. “No one will ever look at this school the same way anymore.”
McBride said she received a text this morning, saying the school was closed.
“I didn’t know what to do,” said Kendall Meehan. “It’s all very scary. It’s not something you see around here.”
Both students said they didn’t know the 14-year-old who was reported missing.
Source: Boston
In The Mixx: DJs Doing Work 