Category Archives: Death
Kyle Dube Charged With The Murder Of, 15 year-old, Nichole Cable
BANGOR, Maine — A 20-year-old Orono man was charged Tuesday with murder in connection with the death of Nichole Cable, a 15-year-old girl from Glenburn. Police discovered a body they believe is Cable’s on Monday night in a wooded area of Old Town.
Kyle J. Dube was charged with intentional and knowing murder, police announced during a press conference at the former Superior Court building. Dube’s arrest came nine days after Cable was last seen alive on Mother’s Day evening. Hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement personnel had spent many of those days searching for the missing girl, combing the woods and fields for miles around Cable’s home.
Maine State Police Lt. Christopher Coleman said during Tuesday’s press conference, “I am not at liberty to go into details about what led to the arrest” of Dube, who has a minor criminal history.
Coleman would not say if Cable and Dube knew each other, but Tyler-Ann Harris, a friend of Cable’s from Old Town High School who was at the press conference, stated emotionally before a room filled with media that the two had been “hanging out” for the last 1½ to two months.
Information from “several different sources” led investigators to Gilman Falls in Old Town, located along Route 43, where a game warden and his dog located a female body about 9:30 p.m. Monday, said Coleman, who leads the major crime unit for northern Maine.
Dube was already in custody, having turned himself in at the Penobscot County Jail on Thursday to begin serving a 90-day sentence for a high-speed motorcycle chase and crash in June 2012, according to court records and jail officials.
His first court appearance on the murder charge is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, which is when more details about the crime will be released in a court affidavit, Coleman said. Assistant Attorney General Andrew Benson is prosecuting the case.
Stephen Smith, a Bangor lawyer, confirmed Tuesday morning that he has been appointed to represent Dube.
The Maine State Police, Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and Orono police were at the Dubes’ residence at 5 Maplewood Ave. on Wednesday, May 15, according to neighbors James and Deborah Bowie. The Maine State Police Mobile Crime Unit was there Sunday and Monday, they said.
Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said Sunday night that he didn’t have any information on why the crime lab was there, but the neighbors said the mother of that household told them that Cable had been there about a week earlier to visit and that she reported that to police.
Neighbors said Dube reportedly had been using his father’s black Ford Ranger for work purposes. The truck has been impounded, state police confirmed Tuesday.
Dube’s Facebook page shows he twice posted a flier about Nichole Cable being missing last week. On Monday, the day after Nichole went missing, he reportedly posted the following about a girlfriend who is not Cable:
“OK so I don’t with the droma. Let’s get this straight. I KYLE DUBE is and always will be with [my girlfriend]. We have had are up and downs but we have worked them out so stop talking to me if you are trying to flirt and guys you better stop hitting on [her] I get crazy when I’m pissed off and I’m about there.”
Early Tuesday morning, authorities were in the woods near the Stillwater River in Old Town at the site where a body believed to be Cable was found.
State police and other law enforcement personnel were gathered near the intersection of Routes 43 and 16 and were seen putting up yellow crime scene tape about 9:30 a.m. A state police spokesman confirmed the activity at the scene was related to the discovery of the body Monday night. A black minivan was seen entering the barricaded area and leaving minutes later.
Assistant Attorney General William Stokes said Tuesday afternoon that an autopsy on the female’s body was started but was not complete.
“I don’t expect to have any additional information until tomorrow,” said Stokes, who leads the criminal division in the Maine attorney general’s office.
Cable’s parents, who are divorced, were each told of the development by members of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and Maine State Police.
Jason Wiley, who is married to Cable’s mother, Kristine, answered the door at their house Tuesday morning and declined to comment until after speaking with the investigator. He and his wife later provided the Bangor Daily News with an interview.
Nichole Cable was last seen at her home on Spruce Lane on the evening of May 12, and her parents thought she was taken by someone using a false Facebook profile, according to the family’s Facebook page, Bring Nichole Cable Home.
“The fake Facebook [site] was real,” Cable’s friend Harris said Tuesday.
She said she believes that Dube created the fake Facebook page, but Harris added, “I don’t know why he would need to. She willingly would hang out with him before. I don’t know what else to think.”
Cable lived with Harris for a couple of weeks, at one point, and she spent the night at her house on the Friday before she went missing, Harris said.
“It’s been really hard. I’ve been really scared for her,” the Old Town High School sophomore said, adding that she is relieved that her friend is not suffering. “It’s been really hard to just wait and not know.”
Grief counseling was set up at Old Town High School for students, a school secretary said Tuesday morning.
Between 40 and 70 law enforcement officers had been working on the case, Troy Morton, deputy chief for the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, said Monday.
“Every officer can identify with the pain of a missing 15-year-old,” Sheriff Glenn Ross said at the beginning of the Tuesday press conference, as he thanked every law enforcement officer — local, state and federal — who assisted, and the members of the public who turned out in force on Sunday to search for the missing girl.
“It was unbelievable,” Ross said of the 500-plus turnout. “I know the family appreciates it and we appreciate it.”
The sheriff ended by saying the Penobscot County case had been deemed a homicide and therefore would be handled by the state police. Maine Warden Service Lt. Kevin Adam said four game wardens searched the area off Route 43 where the body was found.
Dube, who was enrolled at Eastern Maine Community College in the spring semester of 2012, was arrested last June after he led police on a chase that reached speeds of 150 mph from Orono to Howland on Interstate 95 before it ended with his motorcycle hitting a police cruiser at the town offramp.
The chase resulted in charges of eluding police officers, driving to endanger and criminal speeding.
Dube slowed enough, evading two partial roadblocks, to apparently avoid injury in the crash. He refused hospitalization by Penobscot Valley Hospital paramedics at the scene, state police said at that time.
Dube told state police Trooper Chris Hashey after the crash that he evaded the trooper because “he was scared and just basically didn’t want a ticket,” Hashey said.
Dube had received his motorcycle learner’s permit three days before that arrest, Hashey said.
Dube has a criminal record beyond the motorcycle incident.
He was a juvenile, 17 years old, when he was charged for carrying a loaded firearm or crossbow in a motor vehicle that resulted in a January 2011 conviction and $200 fine, according to court listings printed in the Bangor Daily News.
Dube also was convicted of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and burglary of a motor vehicle in January 2012 and was sentenced to a $300 fine for both, the BDN archives state.
He also has another theft by unauthorized taking or transfer conviction from February 2012 that resulted in a $500 fine, according to a background check done by the BDN through the Maine State Bureau of Identification.
Dube was employed by Getchell Agency, a Bangor-based home health care agency, according to an attorney for the business.
Andres Munos-Munos Charged With Intoxication Manslaughter In Death Of Sheriff’s Deputy
HOUSTON — The man accused of hitting and killing a Harris County sheriff’s deputy while driving drunk was in the country illegally, a judge said in court overnight.
Andres Munos-Munos, 23, was charged with intoxication manslaughter in the death of Sgt. Dwayne Polk.
According to the Houston Police Department, Munos-Munos allegedly ran a red light on Little York at N. Shepherd and hit Polk’s personal truck shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday. HPD said there were no skid marks to indicate Munos-Munos even attempted to stop prior to the crash.
The deputy died at the scene. He was in uniform, and officials believe he was driving home following an off-duty job.
During his court appearance early Monday, Munos-Munos was ordered held without bond. Details weren’t immediately available on his attorney.
Police said the suspect suffered minor injuries in the wreck and was taken to the hospital prior to being taken to court. It was there he underwent a mandatory blood draw.
Polk, 47, had been with the sheriff’s office for 16 years. On Sunday afternoon family and friends left small mementos at the Houston intersection where the deputy was killed.
“Tough morning,” Sheriff Adrian Garcia tweeted. “The HCSO suffered a terrible loss & we are all grieving. Keep HCSO members & their families in your prayers.”
According to the Houston Chronicle, Polk grew up in Houston with his two brothers, three sisters and many cousins. The Bible was among the books his mother used to teach him and his siblings to read, according to a 2012 obituary for his younger brother.
The suspect accused in Polk’s death has had trouble with the law before.
Records show he was arrested on June 10, 2012 for driving while intoxicated. He also was charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon. He was deported in July 2012, but later returned to the U.S.
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Sheriff Garcia sent this e-mail to his staff following Polk’s death:
The members of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office mourn the untimely death of Sgt. Dwayne Polk, a 16 year veteran of the HCSO and a dedicated public servant.
The HCSO deals with on a daily basis the tragedy that happens in our community. Our deputies are trained to handle these situations and do what we can to help our citizens move forward when they have been touched by tragedy. Today, it reminds us that although we wear badges and guns, we too are human and our hearts hurt and are heavy as anyone else who has dealt with the loss of a son, a brother, a dedicated colleague, a caring friend and a proud father. Our prayers are with Sgt. Polk’s family and those who knew him best.
Sgt. Polk’s death reminds us that we must stop these senseless actions at the hands of irresponsible individuals who insist on ignoring the law and common sense, and get behind the wheel after having too much to drink!
As we move forward, Sgt. Polk’s death will not be in vain. We will continue to put behind bars those who run the risk of devastating other families, as the Polk family has been. It was eerily ironic that on the morning of June 18th I was with Mothers Against Drunk Driving as they held the annual “Walk Like MADD”.
Let’s remind ourselves that these deaths can be prevented either by personal responsibility or by handcuffs, but we will not stop in our efforts to save lives on our roadways!
Hofstra University Student Accidentally Killed By Police After Being Taken Hostage
Long Island, NY- A 21-year-old Hofstra University junior was killed early Friday morning when she was accidentally struck by a bullet fired by a police officer.
The incident happened in an off-campus house rented by Andrea Rebello, her twin sister and two other students. Sometime around 2am, Rebello’s boyfriend went outside to move a car, reportedly to avoid a parking ticket. It was during this time that 30-year-old Dalton Smith, dressed in black and wearing a ski mask, entered the house. Smith, a parolee with an extensive rap sheet that includes attempted robbery, weapons possession, assault and being an all-around charming fella, was armed.
He ordered Rebello, her twin sister Jessica and a third woman onto a couch. He did the same to Rebello’s boyfriend when he returned and demanded valuables from the four. I’m going to go out on a limb at this point and say Dalton likely never went to college: he was unsatisfied with what the four produced. I don’t know how much you could expect to fleece a few college students for, but I wouldn’t have expected more than a few beers and some dental dams.
After some discussion that I’m sure was completely civil, Smith ordered the third woman out of the house to get money from an ATM. Smith reportedly told the woman she had eight minutes to return with the cash or he’d start shooting. When she left the house , the woman called 911. Two police officers arrived at the home shortly thereafter. According to one report, this is how it went down from here:
When the cops knocked on the door, Dalton Smith ordered Jessica Rebello to tell the police everything was fine. She did the opposite, reportedly yelling to the officers that Smith had a gun. One of the officers entered the house and the other took up position outside the front door. As Smith led the hostages downstairs, Rebello’s boyfriend reportedly fell down the stairs, closing the front door and locking it.
He then took cover behind a sofa, a move I’m sure he is going to regret for the rest of his life. Smith grabbed Andrea and put her in a headlock, pointing his gun at her head as he moved for the back of the house. As he moved toward the back door, Smith spotted the officer who had entered the house. He reportedly threatened to kill Rebello before pointing his weapon at the officer. In total, the officer fired eight rounds. Seven rounds went into Smith. The eighth hit Rebello in the head. Apparently, the officer has never seen SPEED.
Both Rebello and Smith were pronounced dead. The officer has been placed on sick leave and will be subject to an internal investigation once the criminal investigation has been completed.
I usually try to save my opinions for the comments section, but in anticipation of a barrage of Ice Cube and/or T lyrics, gun control banter and commentary on the prison system, I feel I should throw a few things out there.
First, it is likely that Dalton Smith should have been in jail instead of prancing about with a ski mask and a gun. A failure of the system? Quite possibly. The gun Smith used is reported to have had the serial number scratched off, which points to it being a very-illegally acquired firearm, something that no restrictions on gun purchasing and ownership will ever stop. Also on the gun side of things, a seven bullet limit on police officers’ firearms would not have necessarily made a bit of difference, so any of you wannabe comedians out there can promptly stick that notion in your anus.
Finally, as a fan of law enforcement and a friend to quite a few police officers, I’d like to implore anyone out there with the urge to condemn this officer’s actions to consider themselves in the same situation. If we are going to condemn the actions of any individual here, it should be Smith… or possibly the boyfriend for hiding behind the sofa like a wussy.
Man, 24, drops dead in the office from overworking
A 24-YEAR-OLD employee in Beijing has died after working a month of overtime for an international advertising firm.
Li Yuan, a staffer in the Beijing office of international advertising, marketing and public relations agency, Ogilvy & Mather, reportedly suffered a sudden heart attack on May 14.
He had being working overtime for a month, not leaving the office until 11pm every day, according to Yangzi Evening News.
Li Yuan fell to the ground in the office around 5pm.
Co-workers immediately phoned for help and emergency personnel rushed him to Peking Union Medical College, where he was confirmed dead.
According to reports, doctors said his death was from sudden cardiac arrest.
Li’s final message on Weibo, China’s Twitter service, was a photo of him saluting the camera as he left work for the day, the tweet has been commented on more than 15,000 times.
Police Charge Internet Celebrity, Kai The Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker, With The Murder Of New Jersey Lawyer
Authorities have arrested the internet celebrity known as “Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker” in connection with the murder of a New Jersey lawyer.
Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, who received the nickname because he used a hatchet to subdue a man who ran over a California utility worker, was arrested at a Greyhound Bus terminal in Philadelphia, police said.
Officials believe McGillvary, 24, killed Joseph Galfy, who was found in his Clark, N.J. home on Monday, dead of blunt force trauma. Prosecutors say Galfy met McGillvary in Times Square Saturday night, and brought him back to his house to spend the night.
They say they believe the two men had a sexual encounter.
Authorities said McGillvary, who has appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” pondered on his Facebook page Tuesday the idea of waking up in a stranger’s house with a groggy head and injuries, and the realization of being drugged and raped. “What would you do?” he wrote, according to officials.
McGillvary gained notoriety earlier this year when he was hitchhiking with a man who allegedly attempted to run over a utility worker.
According to the Fresno Bee, McGillvary pulled a hatchet out of his backpack and struck the driver in the head after the dispute, and others held the man until police arrived.
McGillvary describes himself as “homefree,” rather than “homeless,” and said on Kimmel that he steals from Wal-Mart, Target and Safeway and gives away the loot.
Authorities said he will be processed in Philadelphia and returned to New Jersey in the coming days.
News of the arrest came just as family and friends had gathered at a New Jersey funeral home for Galfy’s wake.
“I prefer to think that Joe was a decent person who opened his door to someone and paid a hell of a price,” said Michael Savvis, a friend of Galfy’s. “I thought he was a good man, a great attorney.”
Destiny Spitler, 12, Dies After Putting On Grandmother’s Pain Patch
CLINTON, MO (KCTV) - A Missouri girl got her hands on a powerful medicine that ended up killing her, but it wasn’t pills or any liquid.
Sadly, the emergency call police got in Clinton over weekend is not that uncommon – the result of a powerful pain killing patch. And it is not just teens looking to get high.
Oftentimes, it is much more innocent mistakes that turn deadly.
A cross in the front lawn of Destiny Spitler’s home marks a significant and sudden loss.
“Always happy. Bubbly. She was very bubbly,” former babysitter Mary Hawkins said.
The 12-year-old girl’s grandmother described Destiny as loving, giving and caring.
“She loved to sing. She sang all the time. But apparently she was a very curious little girl that we didn’t realize,” Diana Spitler said.
Destiny’s grandma uses fentanyl, a powerful pain patch, to manage her back pain.
When Destiny died in her sleep Saturday morning, investigators found one on her thigh.
What prompted the 12-year-old to affix it is unclear, but her grandmother said Destiny pulled it from the trash.
“It was a patch that was from last Tuesday. And she put it on,” Diana Spitler said.
Toxicologist Dr. Stephen Thornton, with the University of Kansas Hospital, said he has seen many cases where children have overdosed on a patch tossed in the trash, sometimes thinking it is a sticker.
“Once you use that patch and you take it off, it still has about 50 percent of the fentanyl that was started with,” Thornton said.
That is why it’s important to consider not just how people store their medications, but also how to dispose of it.
It’s something Destiny’s grandmother didn’t know and something she wants others to hear.
“Mothers, fathers … anyone who wears these dang patches, dispose of them, fold them up in tiny little pieces and flush them down the stool so your babies won’t be like mine,” she said.
That is exactly what doctors recommend – crumple it or fold it, then flush it.
People may have heard before not to flush medicine because it contaminates ground water, but there are a handful of medications the FDA does recommend flushing because they are so dangerous for children, and this is one of them. Click here for more information.
At this point, police aren’t certain if the fentanyl itself killed Destiny or if it was an interaction with medication she was taking that was prescribed to her.
They expect to have a more conclusive autopsy report in six to eight weeks.
Elderly Double-Amputee Killed After Four Pit Bulls Drag Him From Wheelchair
HARLEYVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) — The Dorchester County coroner’s office has released information about a dog attack that left an already paralyzed man dead.
According to Coroner Chris Nisbet, 80-year-old Carlton Freeman was “minding his own business while going down side of road” in his wheelchair when he was attacked by a pack of dogs.
The attack reportedly happened the afternoon of May 8 at Spring Branch and Dunnings Road in Harleyville.
Nisbet says Freeman was a bi-lateral amputee at the knees who was “pulled from his wheelchair by his legs as he tried to fight off the dogs.”
Nisbet said Freeman told EMS the dogs were biting him and tearing at his clothing.
EMS transported Freeman to Trident where he passed away on May 12.
“Upon my examination of Mr. Freeman, it is a wonder that this gentleman was able to hang on as long as he did,” said Nisbet in a press release. “He had bites and lacerations from his legs to the top of his head. This is very sad story, but even worse that Mr. Freeman was basically helpless to the attack, due to being a bi-lateral amputee.”
The Criminal Investigations Unit of the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
DCSO spokesperson Maj. John Garrison said deputies along with Dorchester County Animal Control were able to capture three of the dogs and are still trying to find the fourth.
According to a report from the DCSO, neighbors say the dogs have been “roaming around the neighborhood for months” and told deputies who they thought the owner was.
The report said deputies contacted 61-year-old Barbara Goodwin who said she owns three of the dogs – a mother and two puppies. She said she does not own the fourth dog, a male.
Deputies captured the mother and one of the puppies, all of which had blood in their fur according to the report.
The male and the other puppy would not come out of the woods so deputies say they are setting traps for them.
Unique Gould Charged With Manslaughter In Beating Death Of Her Toddler
A 2-year-old boy who suffered a head injury two weeks ago in an alleged assault by his mother, Unique Gould, of Nashua, has died, according to the boy’s uncle.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have to say on behalf of the family that we lost him as of yesterday afternoon,” said Chris Smart Saturday morning.
His nephew, whose name has not officially been released but who has been referred to as “Baby DG,” had been hospitalized since April 26, when he was taken by ambulance, first to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center and then to Massachusetts General, for emergency surgery to relieve bleeding to his brain.
“They took him off the vent tube around 11 a.m Friday and he was breathing on his own for about six hours,” Smart said. However, the family came to the heart-wrenching conclusion that it was best to let him go, Smart said.
“We would like to extend our thanks to both teams at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center and Mass General, along with the first responders from Nashua police and fire for all their efforts on his behalf,” Smart said. “And also for the prayers and support from the community for our family.”
Smart said a fund set up initially to help cover medical expenses for the boy, who was expected to have life-altering repercussions from his injuries had he survived, will now go toward funeral expenses as well as unpaid medical bills.
The family appreciates the ongoing support of the community as it mourns the loss of Baby DG, Smart said.
“Any donations beyond that will be donated to a local child abuse awareness organization,” Smart said.
Gould, 21, of 8 Ash Court, Nashua, remains in Valley Street Jail, held on a first-degree assault charge for the injuries sustained by her 2-year-old son.
There has been no update from Nashua Police as to the charges against Gould in light of the boy’s death.
During the investigation into Baby DG’s injuries, Gould admitted to police that she struck her son repeatedly April 25, with her hand on his buttocks and head. She also told police she “blacked out” at some point while hitting him.
Smart said he has not personally seen Gould since her arrest.
“A family member tried contacting her in jail to tell her that we lost him. Unfortunately, it’s not the only loss we’re dealing with. We got word that my grandmother – the baby’s great-grandmother – passed around the same time in Florida,” Smart said.
A link to the donation site, Fundrazr.com, is available here. Direct donations can also be made via a check made out to “Baby DG Fund.” All money received goes into a verified account established through Citizens Bank of Milford. Mail donations to:
35 Manchester Road Ste. 11A #132 Derry, NH
Haven Lee Norton, 10, Struck And Killed By His School Bus While Mother Watched
SPRINGTOWN — As his mother watched in horror, Haven Lee Norton screamed as a school bus rolled over him Monday morning.
“Then he went silent,” said Shannon Norton, Haven’s mother.
The driver of the Springtown school district bus didn’t hear her son as she drove over him, killing the 10-year-old, Shannon Norton said.
She told her son to cross in front of the bus, as he did every morning, while the lights were flashing and another child was getting on the bus, she said.
“I saw him slip,” Norton said. “He hollered, but [the bus] started rolling and [the driver] had taken her foot off the brake. He tried to get out of the way. He hollered, and I hollered.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety is still investigating the accident. Evidence at the scene showed the boy was apparently struck by both a front and rear tire, said Trooper Gary Rozzell, a DPS spokesman.
When the accident occurred about 6:30 a.m. at 121 Hilltop Meadows, between Springtown and Azle, it was already light, Norton said.
The bus driver usually had her window down so she could communicate with parents and children, but the window was rolled up Monday morning.
“If she had her window down, she would have been able to hear,” Norton said. “I put my kid on that bus in her possession. It’s her job to protect my children and she took my child’s life because she wasn’t aware of her surroundings.”
Rozzell said the bus driver “stopped the bus and activated the lights” as she stopped to pick up another child across the street.
“The boy came up beside the bus as she deactivated the lights,” Rozzell said. “The bus started to pull forward, and the boy couldn’t get out of the way, and was struck.”
At the time, there were four children and another bus driver on the bus, Rozzell said.
Haven, a fourth-grader at Springtown Elementary School, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Driver placed on leave
The bus driver, whose name wasn’t released, voluntarily submitted to drug and alcohol testing afterward, which is school district policy, Rozzell said.
She has been placed on administrative leave, said Springtown school district Superintendent Mike Kelley.
“It’s standard operating procedure to place the driver on administrative leave and evaluate the situation — see where she is emotionally,” Kelley said. “I’d have a hard time knowing when I’d want to come back.”
Kelley described the driver as “a wonderful lady” who’s had a good driving record as a bus driver.
“She’s done a great job for us the last two years,” Kelley said.
Counselors were at the school Monday and will return Tuesday. Several ministers volunteered to help, and six area school districts offered counselors, Kelley said.
Kelley said this was the first fatality that he knew of involving a Springtown school bus.
‘He loved going to school’
Norton said her son had been riding the bus for the last two weeks because one of the family’s cars had broken down. His 7-year-old sister also rides the bus but she stayed home on Monday, Norton said.
She had recently met with school officials who reported that Haven had “caught up” to his fellow fourth-graders after moving to Springtown from Florida last September.
“He loved going to school, he loved his classmates,” Shannon Norton said.
Norton said her son was also involved at Country Cowboy Church in Bridgeport, where their family worshipped.
“He knew Jesus, he loved the outdoors, loved to fish with his Papi and his uncles and he loved to play with his uncles and his cousins,” Norton said. “He was just an awesome child.”
Before living in Florida, the family had resided in California. His mother plans to have a memorial service locally, but will have his remains cremated so she can eventually take his ashes to California.
“He loved Texas, but he grew up in California,” she said. “California is his home.”
Investigators checked the bus to see if the lights and brakes were working properly and found no issues. It was released back to the school district. Rozzell said.
Police Arrest Brother, 12, In Fatal Stabbing Of 8-Year-Old Leila Fowler
VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. (KCRA) —The 12-year-old brother of a Valley Springs girl found stabbed to death in her home last month was arrested Saturday.
Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz said at a news conference that Leila Fowler’s brother was taken into custody just after 5 p.m. Saturday. He will be charged with homicide, Kuntz said.
Several classmates of the 12-year-old boy, and parents of those classmates, told KCRA 3 that the boy’s name is Isaiah Fowler. The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department would not confirm the boy’s identity.
The classmates said Isaiah Fowler was at his sister’s vigil that took place just days after the girl’s death and was seen back at school.
Valley Springs residents who knew the family said Saturday after the arrest was announced that they are shocked by the news and that Leila Fowler and her brother were close.
Fowler was found stabbed to death at her family’s home on Rippon Road on April 27.
The attack shook the tight-knit Valley Springs community of about 7,400 people and set off a massive manhunt.
The boy had told authorities he found his sister’s body and encountered an intruder in the home while their parents were at a Little League game. He described the man as being tall with long gray hair.
One neighbor, who originally told authorities he or she saw a man running from the home, has since been discredited by deputies.
Investigators have said there was no sign of a burglary or robbery at the house.
Authorities did a door-to-door sweep of houses, storage sheds and horse stables scattered across oak-studded hills. Divers also searched two nearby reservoirs in search of clues.
As part of the investigation, authorities seized several knives from the home Leila shared with her father, stepmother and siblings to determine if one could have inflicted the fatal wounds.
Kuntz said at Saturday’s news conference that he was proud of his deputies and that citizens in the rural Calaveras County community can “rest a little easier tonight.”
Authorities spent over 2,000 hours on the investigation “to provide Leila Fowler’s family answers to her death,” the sheriff said. Kuntz said the investigation was ongoing. He declined to provide further details.
Several days after the killing, hundreds of people gathered at Jenny Lind Elementary School where Leila was a popular 3rd grader. Her mother, Krystal Walters, tearfully thanked the crowd for the support. “I just want to thank the entire community and all of our family and friends for all the overwhelming amount of support you’ve given our family,” Walters said at the time. “It will never be forgotten. Thank you.”
