by A 16-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of missing girl Milana Li, whose body was found in a shallow stream.
Daniel Ryan Gore appeared via video link from the Washington County Juvenile Court. Prosecutors said they planned to try him as an adult.
The boy is being held without bail. His next court appearance is June 3.
The teen did not speak during his Friday court appearance.
Deputy District Attorney Dustin Staten asked the judge to seal a probable cause affidavit that lays out what led investigators to arrest Gore.
Authorities have not publicly said how Li died, or whether the teens knew each other. Li vanished May 8 after she left her family’s apartment to go for a walk. She was reported missing May 9 by her family.
Her remains were found in a park one day later, about a mile from her home.
In court, Staten said the teenage boy had a criminal history dating to 2020, when he and another juvenile tried to set fire to a movie theater. In two other incidents, Gore and a co-defendant tried to damage and steal from a movie theater.
The teen has been charged with second-degree arson, criminal mischief and second-degree theft in those cases, the prosecutor said.
Li and her family emigrated to Oregon three years ago from Kazakhstan. The girl was described by relatives as someone who lit up a room when she entered, and always wore a smile.
During Friday’s hearing, the child’s mother, Assel Li, stood to address the court, asking that Gore not be released.
“I feel that my family will be not safe if he will be out and I feel that it’s dangerous for him to be outside, inside the community,” she said. “And I have a small kid, another girl. She’s 5.”
