Investigators now say a 17-year-old boy from Eau Claire was murdered. Someone found Jason Grau's body near a bike trail along the Chippewa River in Chippewa Falls on Wednesday (2/24). Grau was a high school student in Eau Claire.

“Jason’s death is being investigated as a homicide,” said Interim Police Chief John Liddell at a press conference Friday (2/26) afternoon.

Capt. Liddell wouldn’t say more about how Grau was killed. But, a source close to the investigation says it appears there is more than one possible cause of death. That source told us Thursday Grau suffered severe bodily injury.

"I will not speculate on when Jason died, but investigators have been able to confirm that Jason was seen on Sunday, February 21 in the Eau Claire/Chippewa Falls area," Liddell said.

Even before Capt. Liddell released Jason Grau's name, condolence messages were pouring into Facebook sites set up by Grau's friends. That prompted the Eau Claire superintendent to get crisis counselors to McKinley Charter School where Grau was a student.

"Because of social media and social networking, students were probably more aware than you and I were of some of the details of what was happening," says Superintendent Dr. Ron Heilmann.

Heilmann says Grau went to McKinley for the past few months; before that he'd gone to both Eau Claire North and Memorial High Schools.

"This is never easy. It is very impacting for not only the overall community, but for the Eau Claire area school district as a school community," Heilmann says. “While we certainly serve (our students’) needs for seven to eight hours a day, we’re worried and concerned about them all the time. So, we take this very seriously. It has hit us very hard.”

"We are receiving tons and tons of tips; we're following up on all of them. We have teams of investigators, both from our agency and the Department of Justice, who are out doing multiple interviews in a day based on tips that we're getting," Liddell says

Capt. Liddell didn’t want to say just who they’re interviewing. He says Grau had friends in Chippewa Falls and sometimes stayed at other places than his home. He says it was an officer from another agency who recognized Grau.

Capt. Liddell wouldn't comment on where or why someone would have killed the 17 year old or if drugs were involved. A source close to the investigation says it appears to be fairly clear Grau's body was left by the river. That source also tells us, given the nature of the crime, it's very possible there's more than one person involved in his death.

“Based on what we’ve seen in the investigation, we don’t believe it was just a random act on the street,” Liddell says.

Friday, Liddell again stressed that there is no danger to the public and says Grau likely knew his killer or killers.

Investigators from the Chippewa Falls Police Department and the Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation spent almost a full day combing the river banks near the Highway 124 bridge looking for evidence. Liddell says the crime scene is about the size of a football field. He isn't releasing what investigators found or if a weapon was used in the murder.

During Friday's press conference, Capt. Liddell also said he was not aware of any missing person report filed for Grau or if Grau had a juvenile record.

As for the messages that continue to add up for Jason Grau online, the captain says investigators are aware of them.

"I think that goes both ways. It can make it harder because information is being shared so we don't know when we interview somebody what the source of their information is. But, it can make it easier because in monitoring Facebook, we sometimes can garner information that helps with the investigation," Liddell says.

But, no matter what, he says investigators are doing everything they can to catch Jason Grau’s murderer. Friday, he offered his sympathy to Grau's family. He says they are cooperating with investigators.

Liddell says unless there’s a break in the case, he will not have any further updates until after the weekend. He says investigators need to focus on the case.
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A benefit account is set up at Royal Credit Union to help Jason Grau's family with funeral expenses. You can donate at any RCU branch or call (715) 833-8111 for more information.
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