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Mom's Boyfriend Arrested For Murder Of 9-Year-Old Girl Found Shoved In Duffel Bag
Emiel Hunt, who has been charged for the murder of 9-year-old Trinity Love Jones, was previously convicted of child abuse and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 9-year-old girl was found dead, stuffed into a duffel bag along a California trail.
Emiel Hunt, who has been described as the boyfriend of the victim’s mother, has been charged with the girl's murder, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The body of Trinity Love Jones was discovered March 5 along a Hacienda Heights trail, but investigators weren’t initially able to identify the body.
They announced late Sunday that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner had confirmed the 55-pound body belonged to Jones, who had been wearing a shirt that read “Future Princess Hero” at the time of her death.
The victim’s body was found in a partially zipped roll-away black duffel bag, with her head and upper body sticking out of the bag, CNN reports.
Investigators believe the young girl had been dumped at the location less than 48 hours before she was discovered.
Her death has been ruled a homicide, although the exact cause of death has not been announced.
Hunt was convicted of child abuse in 2005, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Jones' mother, Taquesta Graham, was also taken into custody over the weekend, although she has not been charged with anything. She has previously gotten in trouble with the law in the past regarding a child — she has a prior conviction for involving a minor in prostitution, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The girl’s father, Antonio Jones, described his daughter as full of life and joy.
“Words can’t explain what I’m feeling right now,” he told KTLA after learning of the positive identification. “I just want answers. I just want justice.”
