CLEVELAND: Authorities have arrested a man in connection with the death of a 14-year-old Cleveland girl who disappeared days before her body was found in an abandoned house.
Cleveland police say the 44-year-old South Euclid man was arrested Thursday evening in Mayfield Heights, but formal charges weren’t immediately filed.
Investigators haven’t provided any details about how Alianna DeFreeze died. They say forensic evidence found by the medical examiner’s office led them to the man who was arrested.
The teen’s mother had reported her missing after she failed to show up for school. Surveillance cameras recorded her getting off a public bus on Jan. 26 near where her body was found days later.
The suspect in custody has a criminal record that includes convictions for assault and sexual battery.