A man suspected of sexually assaulting and killing an 11-year-old girl before stashing her body under her bed in her family’s suburban Houston apartment has been arrested, police said.
The 18-year-old man was identified as a person of interest. The Pasadena Police Department said in a statement on Saturday that since then, investigators were able to obtain additional evidence linking him to the death of Maria Gonzalez, and they arrested him in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Police said the 18-year-old will be charged with capital murder and is awaiting extradition to Texas.
According to KHOU-TV, Pasadena Police Chief Josh Bruegger said investigators interviewed and collected DNA from the suspect the day Maria Gonzalez’s body was found, but said he wasn’t on their radar at the time.
The Gonzales family released a statement thanking Pasadena and Louisiana police for arresting the suspect.