ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of a 6-year-old girl. Officials say the girl was killed by her own father off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Seth Willis Pickering, 36, faces first-degree murder charges. His daughter, Lila Pickering, was found dead Friday.
Lila was killed inside the park, which is federal property. That’s why the FBI is investigating her death. The FBI says the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office responded Friday around 5:45 p.m. to a report that Lila was missing. Lila had been taken by her father, officials told the Asheville Citizen-Times.
While taking the report and preparing to issue an AMBER Alert, authorities received notification from the National Park Service about the discovery of a girl. Park Rangers at the scene found a car parked in a grassy area along the side of the parkway. They found Lila and her dad, who was arrested immediately, officials said.
Lila was a first-grade student at Johnston Elementary School.
“While many questions have yet to be answered, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the heartbreaking loss of this wonderful little girl,” Buncombe County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tony Baldwin said.
“We will have crisis support teams on hand Monday morning at Johnston Elementary School to help students, teachers, and staff come to grips with this senseless tragedy,” Baldwin added, “They will remain for as long as they are needed.”
The FBI, National Parks Service and Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office are still investigating.
