New Constantine chief vows to solve 2007 slaying

CONSTANTINE, Mich. (AP) - A new police chief in the southwestern Michigan village of Constantine says his priority is solving the 2007 slaying of an 11-year-old girl.

Chief Jim Bedell tells the Kalamazoo Gazette he's determined to make an arrest in the case of Jodi Parrack, then a fifth-grader at Riverside Elementary School whose body was found in a cemetery on Nov. 8, 2007.

Bedell, a retired Michigan State Police detective, said he made the pledge to solve the crime when he became Constantine's chief in June. He says he spends at least two hours each day working on it and has "some good leads."

Police have received 766 tips in the case, including seven since he joined the force in June.

Jodi's death has been ruled a homicide but the cause hasn't been disclosed.