Swedish Boy, 10, Confesses to Strangling Four-Year-Old With Jump Rope

LJUNGBY, Sweden – In a case that has shocked the nation, a ten-year-old boy in Sweden has confessed to killing a four-year-old by strangling him with a skipping rope after an argument, police said Wednesday.

Officers said the boy had confessed to the deadly attack after a 59-day investigation into the killing of the youngster, named Texas, in the southern village of Ljungby.

The four-year-old had disappeared on October 16 from the courtyard outside the apartment building where he lived, AFP reported.

According to Swedish news reports, he had gotten into a fight with several other children, who had chased him out of a play area.

His body was found a few hours later in a nearby wooded area.

More than 35 officers joined the investigation into the death and at least 65 children, aged between five and 15, were questioned, The (London) Times reported.

"The difficulty with this investigation has been that the evidence was found with children, and that was a very difficult situation to handle," Yvonne Rudinsson, who headed the investigation, said in a police statement.

The 10-year-old was reportedly identified as a suspect early in the investigation and then later confessed.

Robert Loeffel, head of information at the Kronoberg county police, said, "The boy has told us what he did and how he did it and there is a confession in that."

"As far as I am concerned, the crime is solved," said Rudinsson.

Anders Kjaersgaard, police chief in Kronoberg, said, "My hope is that, now that the crime has been resolved, it will help everyone who is in one way or another involved in this very tragic event to move forward in their painful grief."

Children under the age of 15 cannot be punished under Swedish law, so the case of the 10-year-old killer will be handled by social services.