Milana Li Obituary, Death; – An 18-year-old individual has been convicted of the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing in 2022.
Daniel Gore was found guilty on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, first-degree rape, and first-degree sexual abuse. On May 10, 2022, the body of 13-year-old Milana Li was discovered in a small stream located in Westside Linear Park, following her mother’s report of her disappearance the previous day.
Milana’s friends and mother initiated a search in a wooded area she frequently visited, where they located her clothing and shoes. Subsequently, law enforcement conducted a search of the vicinity and discovered Li’s body partially submerged beneath a weighted blanket in a creek.
Packaging straps associated with the blanket were found in Gore’s tent near Progress Ridge, and DNA evidence also connected him to the crime. Gore emerged as a person of interest and fled when police attempted to question him at a library two days after the discovery of Milana’s body. He was later apprehended.
Investigators learned that Gore had contacted his then-girlfriend following the murder, indicating that something unfortunate had occurred but that he had “taken care of it.” The Washington County District Attorney’s Office confirmed in a press release after the trial that Milana had been raped and murdered by Gore.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Pulver reportedly described Gore to the jury as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” noting how he deceived Milana into feeling safe before brutally assaulting and killing her in a wooded area of Beaverton, close to where he was living in a tent. Prosecutors presented surveillance footage and cellphone tracking data to establish that Milana was last seen alive with Gore around 7:45 p.m. on the night of her murder.
At the time of the crime, Gore was 16 years old but was tried as an adult after a Washington County judge determined that he possessed the maturity to comprehend the nature of the charges against him. His sentencing hearing is set for Monday.
