SANDUSKY, Ohio — A 29-year-old man in Sandusky, identified as Devin S. O'Brien, is in police custody and has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a 3-year-old girl he reported missing on Thursday, according to Sandusky Police.
Sandusky Police Chief Jared Oliver said officers responded to the 4000 block of Venice Road around 9 p.m. Thursday after O'Brien reported the girl missing.
"The man that was arrested made the initial 911 call. He actually, in the 911 call, said that the child was taken along with his dog," Oliver said.
According to the Sandusky Police Department, the mother and 3-year-old moved in with O'Brien recently but would not share the relationship of the suspect and the victim.
Police say they searched the area and eventually found the child's body near her home, and evidence led police to arrest O'Brien.
"We've learned that she died from strangulation. There were signs of blunt force trauma, and there's also signs of sexual assault," Oliver said.
Neighbors told News 5 that the neighborhood is typically quiet and safe and were shocked that this happened right in their backyards.
"Who would do something like that to anybody, even an infant or anybody. It's just horrible," Thomas Hillenbrands, a neighbor, said.
O'Brien has been charged with one count of murder and will be arraigned at a later date, according to Sandusky Municipal Court records.
Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter said the killing of a child younger than 14 is aggravated murder and is also a death penalty specification.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed the girl's age. The story has been updated with the correct information.
