By . Helen Pow . and James  Nye . PUBLISHED: . 22:29 EST, 19 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 01:56 EST, 20 February 2014 . A Missouri middle school sports coach charged in the grisly murder of a 10-year-old girl shot the bubbly fourth grader in the head, authorities have revealed, after he snatched her off the street and threw her into his truck 'like a rag doll.' Craig Michael Wood, 45, is facing first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action charges in the death of Hailey Owens, who was taken from the street in front of horrified witnesses while walking home from a friend's house Tuesday evening in Springfield. He could be sentenced to death if convicted. Hailey's body was found in his basement early Wednesday - stuffed in two trash bags inside plastic storage containers. The floor was still damp from bleach, a probable cause statement said. Scroll down for video . Tragic: Craig Michael Wood, 45, is facing first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action charges in the death of Hailey Owens, pictured . Hailey Owens: Witnesses say a man grabbed Hailey from in front of a neighbor’s home and drove away in a gold 2008 Ford Ranger Tuesday afternoon . Authorities won't officially confirm . that the body is Hailey's until after an autopsy, but Springfield Police . Chief Paul Williams said 'we have a high degree of confidence' in the . preliminary identification, which indicates that it is the girl. Wood was inside a truck parked outside his small, single-story home in Springfield when police arrested him Tuesday night, just hours after the abduction. The truck is owned by the suspect's parents, Jim and Regina Wood, who told authorities their son drove the vehicle. The 45-year-old was holding a roll of duct tape in his hands when officers arrived, the statement said. Wood agreed to go to police headquarters for an interview where he denied having any contact with his alleged victim. According . to Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson, who filed the . charges with tears in his eyes late Wednesday afternoon, Wood grabbed the girl as several . residents watched in horror and later shot her in the back of the head in his home. A spent .22 caliber shell casing was also found in the basement of his home. There was also evidence that her wrists had been tied, according to the probable cause statement, though no other details about what happened between the kidnapping and her death have been released. Witnesses . told investigators that a man in a gold 2008 Ford Ranger pickup truck . drove down the street several times before abducting Hailey. They said they heard the driver ask the girl where 'Springfield Street' was. She turned to walk away from the vehicle before the driver opened the door and said, 'Hey come here a minute.' Owens took a step or two toward the truck before 'the male then lunged out of the vehicle' and grabbed her. Charged: Craig Michael Wood, 45, was taken into custody on Tuesday night, about three hours after Hailey Owens was abducted from a street near her Springfield home . Investigation: Police and FBI agents investigate the scene where Craig Michael Wood was arrested in Springfield, Missouri, on Wednesday . Williams . said the witnesses called 911 to report the truck's license number. Resident . Ricky Riggins told the Springfield News-Leader he chased the fleeing . pickup in his car after a neighbor tried to pull the girl away. 'I couldn't keep up,' Riggins told the newspaper. 'He was probably five to six cars ahead of me. ... It was so fast.' Hailey . did not attend Pleasant View School, where Wood worked. She was a . student at Westport Elementary School this year, and attended Bowerman . Elementary School last year. Williams said the girl and Wood apparently didn't know each other. 'There's no connection that we've been able to determine at this time between the victim and the suspect,' the chief said. Hailey's aunt, Erin Petersen, believes the suspect was on a mission to find a girl Tuesday night. 'And it just so happened he found my girl,' she told the News-Leader tearfully Wednesday. Petersen and her husband, Rex, with other family members were out searching for Hailey from the time she was abducted until police reported finding a body in the early hours Wednesday morning. 'Who could sleep when your child is missing? We just prayed for the best and prepared for the worst,' she said. In shock: Hailey's mother, Stacey Barfield, pictured, is in denial about her daughter's death, the girl's aunt said . She told the newspaper she was furious and confused at what happened. 'How can he be human and treat another human like that? ... I just don't understand it.' Hailey's mother, Stacey Barfield, is being 'very strong' but is still in denial, Petersen said. 'She's not angry yet; she hasn't even . had a good cry in private,' she said. 'She broke down on my shoulder, . briefly. She said, "I'm not going to have my little Mini anymore."' Petersen described Hailey as 'an absolute ray of sunshine.' Tearing up, she told the News-Leader the 10-year-old loved to play in the dirt, but also loved to dress up and wear sequins. She said Hailey collected rocks, climbed trees and loved to wear her aunt's shoes around the house. 'She loved hugs and kisses,' she said. 'She loved babies, she loved animals, she loved to be outside.' Rex Petersen said Hailey was 'so good with the kids, she was just so loving.' In a tribute, he wrote, 'She fought hard ... the little hero did not back down. She was a warrior.' Springfield . school officials said Wood is a seventh-grade football coach and . teacher's aide who supervises in-school suspensions at Pleasant View . School, which has students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Norm . Ridder, the Springfield district's superintendent, said in a statement . Wednesday that Wood began working for the district in August 1998. He . said Wood has been suspended since his arrest. Wood . was initially hired as a temporary employee who worked as a substitute . teacher before he was hired full time in 2006, school district . spokeswoman Teresa Bledsoe said later Wednesday. He has coached football . at Pleasant View since 1998 and was also an assistant boys' basketball . coach. Crime scene: Woods was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of a 10-year-old girl. A body believed to be that of Hailey Owens was found Wednesday at the home owned by Wood, Police Chief Paul Williams said at a news conference . 'He met all of our . qualifications for employment,' Bledsoe said, noting that the . Springfield district has a more rigorous background check requirement . than state law, with an additional screening designed to detect . substantiated allegations of child abuse or neglect as well as any past . criminal violations. A . records search shows Wood had little criminal history. He pleaded guilty . to possession of a controlled substance in 1990 in Greene County and . was fined $100. Wood also was convicted in 2001 for illegal taking of . wildlife, the News-Leader reported. Williams said police have no idea of a motive for the killing. He said Wood has not talked to investigators since his arrest. The News-Leader also spoke with the . suspect's father, Jim Wood, who claimed he didn't know about the Amber . Alert until he got home Tuesday and found police waiting for him. He told the newspaper on Wednesday, 'He's my son, and he's in a lot of trouble.' FBI agents searched a nearby laundry business early Wednesday. Attendant Tress Brown wasn't allowed to enter the building until law enforcement had gone through the contents of a washing machine and two dryers, according to the News-Leader. 'He was washing away his evidence, I am guessing,' Brown said. Approximately 35 police and FBI arrived at Wood's home to search his property and his Ford Ranger Tuesday night. Sad: The witness reports triggered a multi-state Amber Alert, Springfield police said on Wednesday . Police said they also found evidence of foul play in the area but offered no other details at that time. Witnesses . told police they saw a man — matching Wood's description — abduct . Hailey near her home in the 3200 block of W. Lombard Street shortly . before 5 p.m. Tuesday. They . said the man approached her, asked her for directions and then pulled . her into a 2008 gold Ford Ranger with Missouri tags 1YF454 or 1YS454. A . witness, Carlos Edwards, told a News-Leader photographer he saw the . girl being abducted as he and his wife sat in the garage of their home. Edwards . said the suspect drove up and down the street several times before . pulling up alongside the girl and asking her if she knew the location of . Springfield Street before grabbing her. Edwards said he tried to run after the truck as his wife got the license number and called 911. A . Springfield Public Schools employee database shows that Craig M. Wood . was first employed in August 1998 as a paraprofessional for in-school . suspension. Loving: Hailey's aunt, Erin Petersen, described her as 'an absolute ray of sunshine' A salary list . published by the district for this year shows he was still working in . that role and as a coach and made $17,220 last year at Pleasant View . Middle School. Springfield . Public Schools Superintendent Norm Ridder said in a statement Wednesday: . 'Last night we learned the terrible news that one of our students had . been abducted near her home. This morning, our sadness is compounded by . the recent developments in the case of Hailey Owens’ abduction. 'The suspect in this case, Craig Michael Wood, was arrested by Springfield Police Department. Wood has been employed by SPS since August 18, 1998. 'He works as a paraprofessional and athletic coach at Pleasant View K-8 School. His employment has been suspended until this matter is resolved.' Initially, Hailey's abduction triggered a multi-state Amber Alert, Springfield police said on Wednesday. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation canceled a statewide Amber Alert for the 10-year-old and reported on their website Wednesday that at 7 a.m. local time, Springfield police 'announced that they had a suspect in custody and that (Hailey) was deceased.' Wood is being held in the Greene County jail, according to the jail's online booking records. On Tuesday, Hailey's mother said she was trying to stay strong. 'My nerves are shot,' Stacey Barfield said, about two hours after her daughter was abducted.
Missouri man Craig Michael Wood is facing first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action charges in the death of Hailey Owens .
Hailey was allegedly abducted by the 45-year-old middle school sports coach in front of horrified witnesses Tuesday evening just blocks from her home in Springfield .
He was arrested around 8:30 p.m. that night sitting in his vehicle outside his home .
Hailey's body was found early Wednesday in his basement - stuffed in two trash bags inside plastic storage containers .
The girl's aunt described her as 'a ray of sunshine' and said her mother, Stacey Barfield, is in denial about the shocking murder .
By . Helen Pow . and James  Nye . PUBLISHED: . 22:29 EST, 19 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 01:56 EST, 20 February 2014 . A Missouri middle school sports coach charged in the grisly murder of a 10-year-old girl shot the bubbly fourth grader in the head, authorities have revealed, after he snatched her off the street and threw her into his truck 'like a rag doll.' Craig Michael Wood, 45, is facing first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action charges in the death of Hailey Owens, who was taken from the street in front of horrified witnesses while walking home from a friend's house Tuesday evening in Springfield. He could be sentenced to death if convicted. Hailey's body was found in his basement early Wednesday - stuffed in two trash bags inside plastic storage containers. The floor was still damp from bleach, a probable cause statement said. Scroll down for video . Tragic: Craig Michael Wood, 45, is facing first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action charges in the death of Hailey Owens, pictured . Hailey Owens: Witnesses say a man grabbed Hailey from in front of a neighbor’s home and drove away in a gold 2008 Ford Ranger Tuesday afternoon . Authorities won't officially confirm . that the body is Hailey's until after an autopsy, but Springfield Police . Chief Paul Williams said 'we have a high degree of confidence' in the . preliminary identification, which indicates that it is the girl. Wood was inside a truck parked outside his small, single-story home in Springfield when police arrested him Tuesday night, just hours after the abduction. The truck is owned by the suspect's parents, Jim and Regina Wood, who told authorities their son drove the vehicle. The 45-year-old was holding a roll of duct tape in his hands when officers arrived, the statement said. Wood agreed to go to police headquarters for an interview where he denied having any contact with his alleged victim. According . to Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson, who filed the . charges with tears in his eyes late Wednesday afternoon, Wood grabbed the girl as several . residents watched in horror and later shot her in the back of the head in his home. A spent .22 caliber shell casing was also found in the basement of his home. There was also evidence that her wrists had been tied, according to the probable cause statement, though no other details about what happened between the kidnapping and her death have been released. Witnesses . told investigators that a man in a gold 2008 Ford Ranger pickup truck . drove down the street several times before abducting Hailey. They said they heard the driver ask the girl where 'Springfield Street' was. She turned to walk away from the vehicle before the driver opened the door and said, 'Hey come here a minute.' Owens took a step or two toward the truck before 'the male then lunged out of the vehicle' and grabbed her. Charged: Craig Michael Wood, 45, was taken into custody on Tuesday night, about three hours after Hailey Owens was abducted from a street near her Springfield home . Investigation: Police and FBI agents investigate the scene where Craig Michael Wood was arrested in Springfield, Missouri, on Wednesday . Williams . said the witnesses called 911 to report the truck's license number. Resident . Ricky Riggins told the Springfield News-Leader he chased the fleeing . pickup in his car after a neighbor tried to pull the girl away. 'I couldn't keep up,' Riggins told the newspaper. 'He was probably five to six cars ahead of me. ... It was so fast.' Hailey . did not attend Pleasant View School, where Wood worked. She was a . student at Westport Elementary School this year, and attended Bowerman . Elementary School last year. Williams said the girl and Wood apparently didn't know each other. 'There's no connection that we've been able to determine at this time between the victim and the suspect,' the chief said. Hailey's aunt, Erin Petersen, believes the suspect was on a mission to find a girl Tuesday night. 'And it just so happened he found my girl,' she told the News-Leader tearfully Wednesday. Petersen and her husband, Rex, with other family members were out searching for Hailey from the time she was abducted until police reported finding a body in the early hours Wednesday morning. 'Who could sleep when your child is missing? We just prayed for the best and prepared for the worst,' she said. In shock: Hailey's mother, Stacey Barfield, pictured, is in denial about her daughter's death, the girl's aunt said . She told the newspaper she was furious and confused at what happened. 'How can he be human and treat another human like that? ... I just don't understand it.' Hailey's mother, Stacey Barfield, is being 'very strong' but is still in denial, Petersen said. 'She's not angry yet; she hasn't even . had a good cry in private,' she said. 'She broke down on my shoulder, . briefly. She said, "I'm not going to have my little Mini anymore."' Petersen described Hailey as 'an absolute ray of sunshine.' Tearing up, she told the News-Leader the 10-year-old loved to play in the dirt, but also loved to dress up and wear sequins. She said Hailey collected rocks, climbed trees and loved to wear her aunt's shoes around the house. 'She loved hugs and kisses,' she said. 'She loved babies, she loved animals, she loved to be outside.' Rex Petersen said Hailey was 'so good with the kids, she was just so loving.' In a tribute, he wrote, 'She fought hard ... the little hero did not back down. She was a warrior.' Springfield . school officials said Wood is a seventh-grade football coach and . teacher's aide who supervises in-school suspensions at Pleasant View . School, which has students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Norm . Ridder, the Springfield district's superintendent, said in a statement . Wednesday that Wood began working for the district in August 1998. He . said Wood has been suspended since his arrest. Wood . was initially hired as a temporary employee who worked as a substitute . teacher before he was hired full time in 2006, school district . spokeswoman Teresa Bledsoe said later Wednesday. He has coached football . at Pleasant View since 1998 and was also an assistant boys' basketball . coach. Crime scene: Woods was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of a 10-year-old girl. A body believed to be that of Hailey Owens was found Wednesday at the home owned by Wood, Police Chief Paul Williams said at a news conference . 'He met all of our . qualifications for employment,' Bledsoe said, noting that the . Springfield district has a more rigorous background check requirement . than state law, with an additional screening designed to detect . substantiated allegations of child abuse or neglect as well as any past . criminal violations. A . records search shows Wood had little criminal history. He pleaded guilty . to possession of a controlled substance in 1990 in Greene County and . was fined $100. Wood also was convicted in 2001 for illegal taking of . wildlife, the News-Leader reported. Williams said police have no idea of a motive for the killing. He said Wood has not talked to investigators since his arrest. The News-Leader also spoke with the . suspect's father, Jim Wood, who claimed he didn't know about the Amber . Alert until he got home Tuesday and found police waiting for him. He told the newspaper on Wednesday, 'He's my son, and he's in a lot of trouble.' FBI agents searched a nearby laundry business early Wednesday. Attendant Tress Brown wasn't allowed to enter the building until law enforcement had gone through the contents of a washing machine and two dryers, according to the News-Leader. 'He was washing away his evidence, I am guessing,' Brown said. Approximately 35 police and FBI arrived at Wood's home to search his property and his Ford Ranger Tuesday night. Sad: The witness reports triggered a multi-state Amber Alert, Springfield police said on Wednesday . Police said they also found evidence of foul play in the area but offered no other details at that time. Witnesses . told police they saw a man — matching Wood's description — abduct . Hailey near her home in the 3200 block of W. Lombard Street shortly . before 5 p.m. Tuesday. They . said the man approached her, asked her for directions and then pulled . her into a 2008 gold Ford Ranger with Missouri tags 1YF454 or 1YS454. A . witness, Carlos Edwards, told a News-Leader photographer he saw the . girl being abducted as he and his wife sat in the garage of their home. Edwards . said the suspect drove up and down the street several times before . pulling up alongside the girl and asking her if she knew the location of . Springfield Street before grabbing her. Edwards said he tried to run after the truck as his wife got the license number and called 911. A . Springfield Public Schools employee database shows that Craig M. Wood . was first employed in August 1998 as a paraprofessional for in-school . suspension. Loving: Hailey's aunt, Erin Petersen, described her as 'an absolute ray of sunshine' A salary list . published by the district for this year shows he was still working in . that role and as a coach and made $17,220 last year at Pleasant View . Middle School. Springfield . Public Schools Superintendent Norm Ridder said in a statement Wednesday: . 'Last night we learned the terrible news that one of our students had . been abducted near her home. This morning, our sadness is compounded by . the recent developments in the case of Hailey Owens’ abduction. 'The suspect in this case, Craig Michael Wood, was arrested by Springfield Police Department. Wood has been employed by SPS since August 18, 1998. 'He works as a paraprofessional and athletic coach at Pleasant View K-8 School. His employment has been suspended until this matter is resolved.' Initially, Hailey's abduction triggered a multi-state Amber Alert, Springfield police said on Wednesday. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation canceled a statewide Amber Alert for the 10-year-old and reported on their website Wednesday that at 7 a.m. local time, Springfield police 'announced that they had a suspect in custody and that (Hailey) was deceased.' Wood is being held in the Greene County jail, according to the jail's online booking records. On Tuesday, Hailey's mother said she was trying to stay strong. 'My nerves are shot,' Stacey Barfield said, about two hours after her daughter was abducted.
school sports coach charged in the grisly murder Michael Wood, 45, is facing first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action charges in street in front of horrified witnesses while death if convicted. Hailey's body was found in his basement early Wednesday - stuffed in two trash bags inside plastic storage containers. The Tragic: Craig Michael Wood, 45, is facing first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action charges in the death of Hailey abducted from a street near her Springfield home was arrested in Springfield, Missouri, on Hailey's mother, Stacey Barfield, pictured, is in denial about her daughter's death, the girl's described her as 'an absolute ray of sunshine' A