Nearly 20 years after 17 year old Alissa disappeared in Phoenix, Arizona, police have arrested her stepfather, Michael, 72, on a second degree murder charge. He has not publicly responded to the charge, and an indictment is an allegation, not a finding of guilt.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, a grand jury indicted Michael and Phoenix police arrested him on Thursday in Mesa, Arizona. Alissa was last seen on May 17, 2001, leaving Paradise Valley High School on the last day of her junior year. The county attorney’s office says she told her boyfriend’s woodworking class that her stepfather was taking her out of school early.
Michael reported her missing at the time and told police he found a note saying she had run away to California. The case was handled as a missing person case until 2008, when police say it was reopened.
At a press conference, Detective Will Anderson said investigators conducted more than 200 interviews and began to see it was not a runaway case. He said that during the investigation police uncovered a bombing plot involving Michael, and that his time in custody for that case “is not justice for Alissa.” County Attorney Allister Adel described Alissa as a good kid who loved animals, drawing and music, and said her life was just beginning. She added that she could not make more information public, and police have not released the evidence behind the charge.
Alissa’s younger sister, Sarah, spent years pushing for answers through a podcast and social media posts. After the arrest she wrote on Twitter that she was shaking and crying, and that the family had been waiting almost 20 years. Adel praised Sarah’s perseverance at the press conference.
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