A retired corrections worker living in Alabama was arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing an 11-year-old girl found in a Massachusetts’ rail yard in 1988, authorities said.
Marvin C. McClendon Jr., 74, of Bremen, Alabama, was taken into custody Tuesday on a fugitive from justice warrant in connection with the discovery of Melissa Ann Tremblay’s body on Sept. 12, 1988, Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said at a Wednesday news conference.
Melissa, of Salem, New Hampshire, was found at the old Boston & Maine Railway Yard in Lawrence, Massachusetts, about 30 miles north of Boston, he said. In addition to being stabbed, the girl’s body was run over by a train car, according to Blodgett.
“Melissa has never been forgotten,” he said. “Evidence recovered from the victim’s body was instrumental in solving this case.”
Blodgett declined to say what that evidence was. McClendon will be arraigned Thursday in an Alabama court. More details about what led investigators to McLendon will be released then, Blodgett said.
He declined to say if McClendon knew Melissa, or if it was a random attack. McClendon is currently jailed in Cullman County, Alabama, Blodgett said.
The timing of his return to Massachusetts is dependent on his decision to waive extradition, prosecutors said.
It was not immediately clear Wednesday if McClendon had retained an attorney. His relatives could not be immediately reached for comment.
Footprints and blood were discovered near where the sixth grader’s body was found, indicating a struggle had taken place, according to The Eagle-Tribune newspaper.
Melissa visited Lawrence, Massachusetts, with her mother and the woman’s boyfriend the day before her body was found, Blodgett said. Melissa’s mom and the man went to the LaSalle Social Club while Melissa played outside.
She disappeared from a nearby neighborhood, and her frantic mother and the boyfriend reported her missing that evening.
McClendon, who was described as a retired Massachusetts Department of Correction employee, lived in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, at the time of Melissa’ slaying, but he had numerous ties to Lawrence, Blodgett said.
Blodgett said he did not know if McClendon worked for the department at the time of the slaying.
Investigators worked the case diligently since 2014, Blodgett said. He added police and prosecutors thoroughly pursue cold cases to get justice for victims’ families.
“We continue to review old cases hoping that new techniques and a fresh look will result in a breakthrough. We are mindful of the victims and their family members who continue to want answers,” Blodgett said. “They are not forgotten, and we will pursue those responsible … for however long that it takes.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
