Colleen Ritzer: Philip Chism, Student, Charged as Adult in Murder of Danvers Teacher [VIDEO]
A 14-year-old high school student arrested for the murder of a Danvers, Mass. math teacher has been charged as an adult in the case, investigators revealed Thursday.
Philip Chism, who was picked up by authorities early Wednesday morning after he was reported missing, was charged with murder in connection to the death of Colleen Ritzer, 24, a math teacher at Danvers High School whose body was found in the woods that same day.
Danver Homicide: Massachusetts Teacher Slain by 14-year-old Student, Body Found in Woods
Chism was reportedly arrested for the crime after statements he made to police about events that occurred in both the school and the woods were corroborated by video surveillance.
In court Wednesday afternoon, it was alleged the teenager assaulted and beat Ritzer, who taught one of his classes. No motive for the crime has been released, according to CNN.
See photos of Chism here.
Chism was initially reported missing early Tuesday evening before being found by cops as he walked along a road in neighboring Topsfield around 12:30 a.m. Ritzer at the time already been reported as a missing person after she hadn't returned home from work and wasn't answering her cell phone.
Authorities found blood in a second-story bathroom at the high school before discovering Ritzer's body in the woods.
Ritzer, a self-described "math teacher often too excited about the topics I'm teaching" on her Twitter page, used social media as a way of giving her students homework assignments and reaching out to them with inspiring messages.
"No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind," she posted in August.
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Ritzer was the second math teacher killed by a young student this week. Michael Landsberry, 45, was allegedly shot and killed by a 12-year-old at Sparks High School outside of Reno, Nev. Monday.