A 5-year-old Georgia girl found murdered in an abandoned east Alabama house was asphyxiated and sexually assaulted.
The body of Kamarie Holland, who was reported missing from Columbus, Georgia about 6 a.m. Monday, was discovered Monday night in Phenix City, Alabama.
37-year-old man Jeremy Tremain Williams is charged with capital murder in Kamarie’s death.
Williams is charged with capital murder of a child under the age of 14 and could also face additional charges of capital murder during a kidnapping and capital murder during a rape, authorities said.
Williams, according to the sheriff, was charged with child abuse in Phenix City in 2009 and acquitted by a jury in 2012.
He was charged with abuse of a child in Columbus, Taylor said, but the disposition of that case wasn’t immediately known.
Additionally, Taylor said, authorities have information that Williams was the suspect in the death of a 1-year-old in Alaska, but he was never charged with that crime because of a lack of evidence.
The ordeal began Monday morning when Kamarie’s mother called 911 to report her daughter missing. The mother said she went to sleep about midnight and awoke to find Kamarie gone and the front door open.
Columbus police launched an immediate investigation and quickly identified Williams as a potential suspect.
Authorities said Williams is an acquaintance of Kamarie’s mother, but that the two were not dating.
Columbus police notified authorities that Williams could be in the Phenix City area.
Lawmen located Williams and a relative at the Bamboo Motel on Opelika Road in Phenix City, the sheriff said.
The hotel workers told authorities they had been there about 30 minutes prior to the arrival of investigators.
Additionally, Taylor said, investigators learned of a previous Phenix City address for Williams.
They went to the address which was a vacant house.
At that house, they found Kamarie’s body.
“It did appear from the scene that there was some sexual abuse,’’ Taylor said.
Kamarie’s body has been sent for an autopsy.
Williams, who lives in Columbus, was placed in custody and is being held without bond.
Williams is set to make a court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s a sad time to have to speak about a 5-year-old, to work a case on a child who absolutely did nothing wrong,” Taylor said. “It’s sad.”
“There’s a lot of details I’m not willing to disclose at this time because of the urgency in this case and potential of other folks we may be looking into as suspects alongside Williams,’’ Taylor said.
“I feel confident that we have the offender in custody and that our work in this case and our autopsy at the state will produce enough evidence to get a conviction on Mr. Williams,’’ the sheriff said.
“We are not done with this investigation by any stretch of the imagination.”
The Russell County Sheriff’s Office and the Columbus Police Department are working the case jointly.
Columbus Assistant Police Chief Joyce Dent-Fitzpatrick said investigators have been working around the clock since Kamarie’s disappearance.
“The No. 1 priority is getting closure for this baby who was taken from us,’’ Dent-Fitzpatrick said.
Russell County Chief Deputy District Attorney Rick Chancey said they will seek the death penalty against Williams if “the facts continue to unfold as we’re seeing them.”
Chancey described the case as “horrific.”
“I would ask the community’s thoughts and prayers to remain with the family,’’ Chancey said.
“This is just a horrific experience they’re going through and the information they are learning about what Kamarie went through is just awful.”
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