Authorities in North Carolina announced they found human remains they believe to be of missing Fort Bragg soldier Kelli Bordeaux, WBIR-TV reported.
Bordeaux, 23, disappeared on April 13, 2012 after spending the night singing karaoke at Froggy Bottoms bar in Asheville. She allegedly left the bar with a man who was later identified by police as a sex offender.
On Wednesday, a tip led authorities to an area near the I-295 corridor in Fayetteville where they discovered the remains.
The remains will be sent to a medical examiner's office to determine the identity.
Lt. Todd Joyce of the Fayetteville Police said officers arrested Nicholas Michael Holbert, 27, and plan to charge him with first-degree murder. During a news conference, Fayetteville Police Chief Harold Medlock said he had been a person of interest ever since Bordeaux went missing.
However, Holbert was arrested for giving authorities an incorrect home address -- a violation of the law for sex offenders. Investigators say he dropped Bordeaux off at the entrance of her apartment complex, where she lived with her husband, who was in Florida at the time of her death.
According to The Fayetteville Observer, two text messages were sent from Bordeaux's phone on the night she disappeared -- one of which said that she was home. Early in the investigation, authorities said they did not believe she sent that one.
Nearly one year ago, the U.S. military declared Bordeaux dead -- allowing her family to receive military benefits.
Bordeaux was assigned to the 601st Area Support Medical Company, 44th Medical Brigade and served as a combat medic.
"She and her family have remained close in our hearts since Kelli last stood in our formation in April 2012," said Lt. Col. Heather A. Kness. "We honor her memory and will always remember her vibrant spirit, her love of life and her loyal and dedicated service to our Army and nation as a combat medic."
