Authorities in New Hampshire have confirmed that the body found in the Connecticut River Monday morning is that of 11-year-old Celina Cass. WMUR is posting updates following a live press conference. According to those updates, an autopsy will be conducted Tuesday in Concord.
Assistant Attorney General Jane Young declined to comment on the visual appearance of Cass' body. She said the case is a criminal investigation. Young said the police had not determined where the body was put in the river. Officials did not specify whether the girl was dead or alive when her body entered the water.
Celina was reported missing July 26. Her mother and stepfather reported last seeing her about 9 p.m. on July 25 in her bedroom. On Tuesday morning, the 11-year-old was gone when they called her to breakfast. With no signs of a forced entry or a struggle and no reason to believe Celina ran away, police had little to go on.
But before long reports surfaced that Cass' stepfather had a troubled past. Wendell Noyes was involuntarily hospitalized with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia in 2003. Citing court records, the Daily Mail said hospitalization came after his then-girlfriend charged him with breaking into her home while she and her children slept, picking up and throwing down her mattress and threatening to throw her down the stairs.
Noyes was taken to Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital by ambulance Monday after repeatedly getting onto the ground and rolling around on his driveway. However, neither Noyes nor anyone else has been identified as a suspect or person of interest, according to WMUR.
Internet reports cited by The Imperfect Parent blog raised questions about Noyes' behavior as early as Thursday. His Facebook page reportedly drew attention for its reference to a dating club and his alleged interest in meeting hot girls. A post on Mock Forums claims Noyes has sex offenders in his family and noted that he has only been married to Celina's mother since October.
In discussing the search for Celina with reporters Friday, Noyes said the family was "in the process of grieving," according to a Daily Mail report.
Earlier in the investigation, Noyes described Cass as a quiet girl who would not have left the family home on her own. Both stepfather and mother have largely avoided the media spotlight during the investigation.
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