Police ID body found Wednesday as Lizzy Shelley

Family photo of Elizabeth Shelley, who went missing May 25, 2019.

LOGAN — The Logan City Police Department has received confirmation that the human remains discovered Wednesday afternoon were those of Elizabeth “Lizzy” Shelley. The 5-year-old Logan girl was allegedly killed Saturday by her uncle, 21-year-old Alex Whipple.

Lizzy’s body was found by officers behind a home near 465 West 100 South. The discovery was made after Whipple agreed to disclose where he had disposed of her remains.

Logan City Police Chief Gary Jensen said the positive identification was made by detectives, in conjunction with the State Crime Lab. They have also determined her cause of death but are not releasing that information at this time.

Whipple is suspected of killing Lizzy early Saturday morning, after Lizzy’s mother, Jessica Whipple, invited him over to play video games and drink alcohol. He allegedly left early in the morning, while the rest of the family was still sleeping and was found walking alone in Mt. Sterling Saturday afternoon.

Police report he had blood on some of his clothing that matched Lizzy’s DNA. He later told officers that drinking alcohol made him black out and do criminal things.

Whipple remains in jail after a judge Tuesday ordered that he be held without bail. He is scheduled to appear again in court June 3. In addition to aggravated murder, he is suspected of child kidnapping, a second-degree felony, two counts of obstructing justice and abuse or desecration of a body, a third-degree felony. He could face up to life in prison if convicted.

A statement from the police department said, “Again, our heart goes out to the Whipple family.”

The Cache County Attorney Victim’s Advocates has set up a donation account for the Shelley family. It is at Zions Bank under the account name: Elizabeth Shelley Donation.


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3 Comments

  • D May 31, 2019 at 12:24 am Reply

    What a tragedy/travesty!
    Great job..Logan City police (AKA “MALL COPS”).
    Gary Jensen, YOU SHOULD RESIGN!
    America witnessed your departments incompetence, in this horrible event.
    Police cadaver dogs, that gave you a sign…1 mile, concentrated search radius(found within a block)…
    How is it, in five days, that every square foot of that search radius wasn’t inspected? Why didn’t you concentrate your search where the dog pointed?
    Was it hard? Or..are all your staff being trained in traffic stop revenue.. and aren’t actually capable to do real policing?
    Your incompetence took the death penalty away from this family.
    I feel for you and your department.

  • John D June 1, 2019 at 1:30 pm Reply

    You’re an idiot!

  • Cory June 5, 2019 at 7:25 am Reply

    Shame on Shannon Demler to announce that the reason the murderer wanted to show where her body was so the family could get closure and he, (the murderer), could start making amends with the family. This is not about the murderer. This is about a 5 year old innocent little girl. This monster should have never been given a deal to avoid the death penalty.

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