Man Charged After 11-Year-Old Girl Is Found Strangled To Death In Alabama Woods Near Her Aunt’s House

An Alabama man has been arrested just days after an 11-year-old girl was found strangled to death in the woods.

Christopher Wayne Madison, 33, has been charged with capital murder in the death of Amberly Alexis Barnett, whose body was discovered Saturday morning in Mount Vernon, just 12 hours after she was last seen alive.

De Kalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said Barnett’s body was found in the woods approximately 200 yards behind the defendant’s home, according to a statement. The location of the body has also been described as near the girl's aunt's house.

Welden released few other details about the circumstances surrounding the 11-year-old’s death.

“Due to the ongoing investigation, and in order not to jeopardize that investigation, I am not at liberty to disclose any additional information concerning this case,” he said. “The road to justice for this sweet, innocent little girl is too important to release anything to jeopardize this investigation.”

Barnett, who was from Polk County, Georgia, disappeared from her aunt’s house around 6 p.m. Friday night.

Her mom, Jonie L. Barnett, said on Facebook that the girl’s aunt was at the store when she disappeared and the aunt’s brother-in-law had been working on a house nearby, CNN reports.

Christopher Madison, 33, has been charged with murder in the death of 11-year-old Amberly Alexis Barnett. Photo: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office

Barnett had left her phone behind, something her mother said was very unusual.

"Nothing in her phone indicated she was planning to leave!" her mother wrote on Facebook.

Those in the community are left devastated by the news the young girl’s body has been found.

"It was shocking. You don't hear nothing about that around here," neighbor Terry Clanton told local station WAAY.

Madison is being held without bond.