[Courtesy of FBI Charlotte / Twitter]
Mariah Woods, a missing three-year-old girl from Jacksonville, North Carolina, is presumed dead as of Saturday. She has been missing since November 26 after her mother, Kristy Woods, tucked her in bed. Woods' live-in boyfriend, Earl Kimrey, initially claimed that the girl woke up an hour after Woods put her to bed so he told her to go back to bed.
From the evidence obtained from investigation, the authorities concluded that Woods is presumed to be dead and Kimrey was arrested on Friday. The 32-year-old is being held on a $1 million bond at the Onslow County Detention Center and is charged with burglary, felony larceny, and possession of stolen property. A murder charge will be added if the investigation proves his involvement in Mariah's disappearance.
According to the arrest warrant, Kimrey removed "Mariah Woods' body from the scene of her death, and did conceal death and body, knowing that died from unnatural causes." He also "secretly disposed of the dead child's body" and "failed to notify a law enforcement authority of the death of Mariah Woods".
After the arrest, search for Mariah's body continued with the aid of FBI and volunteers and they found a body of a minor on Saturday evening. The authorities believe it could be Mariah. A DNA test will be conducted to identify the body.
The distressed mother pleaded for her daughter's safe return when the Amber Alert was issued on Monday and said, "I'll do anything that I can, whatever you want. Just bring her home, please, safe and sound" and added, "She's my baby. She's my everything."
Kwak, Min Jung = abiel@ajunews.com
reporter
KwakMin-jung
abiel@ajunews.com
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