VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. (KCRA) —The 12-year-old brother of a Valley Springs girl found stabbed to death in her home last month was arrested Saturday.
Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz said at a news conference that Leila Fowler’s brother was taken into custody just after 5 p.m. Saturday. He will be charged with homicide, Kuntz said.
Several classmates of the 12-year-old boy, and parents of those classmates, told KCRA 3 that the boy’s name is Isaiah Fowler. The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department would not confirm the boy’s identity.
The classmates said Isaiah Fowler was at his sister’s vigil that took place just days after the girl’s death and was seen back at school.
Valley Springs residents who knew the family said Saturday after the arrest was announced that they are shocked by the news and that Leila Fowler and her brother were close.
Fowler was found stabbed to death at her family’s home on Rippon Road on April 27.
The attack shook the tight-knit Valley Springs community of about 7,400 people and set off a massive manhunt.
The boy had told authorities he found his sister’s body and encountered an intruder in the home while their parents were at a Little League game. He described the man as being tall with long gray hair.
One neighbor, who originally told authorities he or she saw a man running from the home, has since been discredited by deputies.
Investigators have said there was no sign of a burglary or robbery at the house.
Authorities did a door-to-door sweep of houses, storage sheds and horse stables scattered across oak-studded hills. Divers also searched two nearby reservoirs in search of clues.
As part of the investigation, authorities seized several knives from the home Leila shared with her father, stepmother and siblings to determine if one could have inflicted the fatal wounds.
Kuntz said at Saturday’s news conference that he was proud of his deputies and that citizens in the rural Calaveras County community can “rest a little easier tonight.”
Authorities spent over 2,000 hours on the investigation “to provide Leila Fowler’s family answers to her death,” the sheriff said. Kuntz said the investigation was ongoing. He declined to provide further details.
Several days after the killing, hundreds of people gathered at Jenny Lind Elementary School where Leila was a popular 3rd grader. Her mother, Krystal Walters, tearfully thanked the crowd for the support. “I just want to thank the entire community and all of our family and friends for all the overwhelming amount of support you’ve given our family,” Walters said at the time. “It will never be forgotten. Thank you.”
