Step-uncle charged with murder in strangulation death of Illinois girl found in RV

VANDALIA, Ill. (TCN) — The step-uncle of a 14-year-old girl found dead in an RV near her home has been charged with murder in connection with her death.

On the morning of Nov. 14, Morgan Zeller reported her daughter, Kylie Toberman, missing. Vandalia Police officers discovered Toberman’s body in an RV behind her home a few hours later, the Illinois State Police announced in a news release.

KSDK reports charging documents say Toberman was sexually assaulted and strangled with jumper cables before her remains were hidden in a tote inside the RV. 

Vandalia Police, the Illinois State Police, and the Illinois Child Death Investigation Task Force identified Toberman’s step-uncle, Arnold Rivera, 43, as a suspect. 

Toberman lived with her adoptive mother and two sisters, NBC Chicago reports, and Rivera lived in the RV where Toberman’s body was discovered. According to the court documents obtained by KSDK, Rivera was her caretaker. 

Rivera has a lengthy criminal history, KSDK reports, and past charges include criminal sexual abuse of a child between the ages of 9 and 16, possessing a stolen vehicle, and burglary. 

The Fayette County Emergency Management Agency announced that Vandalia Police took Rivera into custody on Nov. 14.

The Fayette County State’s Attorney’s Office filed charges Nov. 17 on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of concealment of a homicidal death, two counts of criminal sexual assault, and one count of conceal death, Illinois State Police said. 

Rivera remains in custody in the Fayette County Jail.

The investigation is ongoing.