James Eaton Arrested in Amber Creek Murder in Racine, Wisconsin

James Eaton Arrested in Amber Creek Murder in Racine, Wisconsin
(Racine Co. Sheriff's Office)
Zachary Stieber
4/8/2014
Updated:
7/18/2015

James Eaton, 36, has been arrested in the cold case murder of 14-year-old Amber Creek.

Creek was beaten, sexually assaulted, and suffocated in 1997 in Racine, Wisconsin.

The ongoing investigation led police to Eaton.

Police say that fingerprints from the plastic bag around Amber’s head and DNA from the body led to Eaton.

Oklahoma authorities assisted with the search for Eaton and found him after they picked up a cigarette he'd been smoking at a train station, reported ABC

Eaton wasn’t a suspect before the fingerprint match.

Eaton is in custody at the Racine County Jail, with a $1 million bail set.

“We are elated, absolutely, that someone has been caught in this crime. We’ve been waiting 17 years. After 17 years, my sister never gave up hope and my mother did not,” said Amber’s aunt Nora Mowers.