An Arizona man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of an 8-year-old girl in the northwest of the state, police said, according to The Associated Press.
Justin James Rector, 26, who had been previously questioned by authorities about the missing girl, was booked into the Mohave County jail, said Bullhead City police spokeswoman Emily Fromelt, the AP reported.
Police caught Rector near a Wal-Mart store in Bullhead City on Tuesday shortly after the family of Isabella "Bella" Grogan-Cannella reported her missing, according to the AP.
Police also said on Thursday that a body found on Wednesday was "visually identified" as that of the missing girl, Isabella Grogan-Cannella, according to the AP.
Searchers found the body in a shallow grave near her home in Bullhead City, a community about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, the AP reported.
"It didn't go the way we all wanted (it) to," said Bullhead City police Chief Brian Williamson, according to the AP. "We set out to find Bella alive and bring her home, but we have completed this mission of bringing someone to justice for Bella's death."
Officers were called to the residence early on Tuesday after relatives found the child was missing from her bedroom, according to the AP. Police said there was no sign of forced entry or a struggle.
Police said the mother told investigators the girl had no reason to run away, and that she would have told an adult if she was leaving, the AP reported. The family is cooperating in the investigation.
The body was discovered after police agencies from across the state and the FBI canvassed the area looking for the 4-foot-8-inch girl with shoulder-length dark blonde hair and blue eyes, according to the AP. Police said about 100 law enforcement personnel were assigned to the investigation.
