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Alabama authorities charge man in death of 11-year-old girl

Posted at 5:24 PM, Mar 04, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-04 17:25:18-05

A man has been arrested in connection with the death of 11-year-old Amberly Barnett, the sheriff of DeKalb County, Alabama, said Monday at a news conference. The girl’s body was found Saturday.

Christopher Wayne Madison, 33, was charged with capital murder, Sheriff Nick Welden told reporters in Fort Payne. He is being held in jail without bond.

The girl’s body was found in the woods about 200 yards from the suspect’s home, Welden said. The cause of death was strangulation, he said.

Related: Virginia mom found not guilty of killing her 5-year-old son

Amberly was last seen Friday around 6 p.m. in the Mount Vernon community in northeast Alabama, and searchers found her body about 6:30 a.m. the next day, the sheriff’s office said.

Barnett was visiting her aunt’s house when she went missing, Amberly’s mother, Jonie L. Barnett, said on Facebook.

The sheriff has not released much information because of the ongoing investigation and would not take questions at the Monday news conference.

“The road to justice is my main concern and my staff’s main concern,” he said.