Police in Sacramento, California, have arrested a 37-year-old man in connection with the brutal rape and murder of a 20-year-old autistic woman who went out for a walk on Jan. 27 and was never seen alive again. Sacramento County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jim Barnes announced the news at a press conference late Friday, several days after the body of Emma Roark was found in a secluded area near the American River. Police say DNA evidence led them to Mikilo Morgan Rawls, a transient with a lengthy rap sheet. The circumstances surrounding Roark’s murder remain unclear. Authorities say she left her home to go for a walk around noon on Jan. 27 but never made it back. A GoFundMe organized by her mother to help locate her immediately after her disappearance noted she was “at risk with Autism.” “She went for a walk to the river and never came back,” the GoFundMe said. After police announced the arrest, Roark’s mother, Celeste, shared the news on Facebook, writing: “This is the monster who killed my daughter. May he never have a moments rest in prison.” Police described Roark’s death as “a very gruesome crime” perpetrated by a “type of evil,” but they declined to provide further details on the killing. “You can’t unsee this. This is as bad as it gets,” Barnes told reporters.
Read it at Sacramento Bee
