Alabama Man Arrested for Capital Murder in Death of 11-year-old Amberly Barnett

Police have arrested a 33-year-old Alabama man and charged him with capital murder in the killing of Amberly Barnett, 11, whose body was discovered in the woods on Saturday morning.

According to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, Christopher Madison remains in custody without bond.

Amberly was strangled to death, investigators announced at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

Her body was discovered 200 yards into the woods behind her aunt’s house in Collinsville, Alabama, close to Mount Vernon, where Amberly lived. Amberly was reported missing Friday at 6 p.m., sparking a large search across DeKalb County.

People reported seeing a dark-colored SUV outside Amberly’s aunt’s house around the time she went missing. It was unclear Monday afternoon whether Madison had submitted a plea to the murder charge against him or if he had a counsel who could speak on his behalf. DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Walden spoke to reporters Monday but provided little details on the probe.

“The road to justice for this sweet, innocent little girl is too important to release anything that could jeopardize this investigation,” DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Walden stated on Monday.

Walden stated in a press conference on Saturday that Amberly’s death has taken an emotional toll on his colleagues.

“And I want to say directly from the heart, being in this career, in this job — the way we do it is 100 percent from the heart and my heart is shattered this day here in DeKalb County, Alabama,” added Walden.

The police have not mentioned a probable motive for the killing.