Officials Think Body of Missing North Carolina Girl Mariah Woods Found

A body believed to be of a 3-year-old North Carolina girl who was missing for six days was found in a creek on Saturday night, a day after the mother’s live-in boyfriend was arrested in connection with her disappearance, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office said.

A child’s body, “strongly believed to be that of Mariah Woods” was found in a creek in neighboring Pender County, Onslow County deputies said in a statement.

Suspected Remains of Missing 3-Year-Old Girl Mariah Woods Found Near Highway After Mother's Boyfriend's Arrest https://t.co/6WPgqN0SPx

— People (@people) December 3, 2017

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death and to verify the girl’s identity, the statement said.

Officials said additional charges are possible against Kimrey, who was held on several charges including concealing a death and obstruction of justice.

Kimrey also faces burglary, felony larceny and possession of stolen property charges, a statement issued by the FBI and Onslow deputies earlier on Saturday said.

The statement did not say whether Kimrey had obtained a lawyer.

Evidence gathered during the investigation led investigators to believe that Mariah was dead, even before the girl’s body was found on Saturday night, they said.

Kimrey was the boyfriend of the Mariah’s mother, Kristy Woods, local media reported.

Woods said she put her daughter to bed at around 11 p.m. on Sunday, and said her boyfriend saw the girl about an hour later when the child got up and he had told her to go back to bed, WRAL, an NBC affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina, reported.

The couple contacted the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office early the next morning to say the girl had disappeared, officials said.

A days-long search ensued with hundreds of police officers, military troops and volunteers searching the rural area around the family’s mobile home in Jacksonville.