With solid proof, detectives arrested 36-year-old James Eaton for the murder of Amber Creek. Eaton was 19 at the time of Amber’s death and the fact that they lived in the same city was more than just a coincidence. It was revealed that Eaton and Creek even lived in the same apartment complex for a time, but it’s unclear if that’s when they first met. Whether he was the man she left the party with in early February is still not known, but there was no question that he was responsible for her death.

“My investigators and I sifted through thousands of reports and spent thousands of hours over the years trying to solve this senseless murder of a child. Today was by far the best moment for my investigative team as we informed Amber’s dad that we caught her killer,” said Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling on the day they arrested Eaton. “It was an emotional exchange for everyone in the room.” Despite the solid proof, prosecutors still had some uphill battles to fight in court.