Marvin C. McClendon Jr. He was arrested Tuesday in Bremen, Alabama and held in the office of Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, Attorney General Jonathan Blodgett told a news conference. McClendon was “arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief on the basis of an arrest warrant issued yesterday for the murder of Melissa Ann Tremblay,” a press release from Blodgett’s office said. The suspect is expected to be arraigned next week, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office told CNN on Thursday. CNN tried to contact a public defender who could represent McClendon, but the offices were closed on Thursday. Cullman County Sheriff’s Office told CNN earlier that it had no information on whether McClendon had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf. Melissa was found dead on September 12, 1988, at the old Boston & Maine Railway Yard in Lawrence, the press release said. He was stabbed to death and a train passed over the body of the autopsy, the announcement said. The girl was last seen the day before playing in neighborhoods near a social club in Lawrence while her mother and mother’s friend were inside, Blodgett said. A railroad worker and a pizza driver were the last to see her alive. Melissa’s mother searched the area diligently before reporting her disappearance around 9pm ET, according to the news release. “Over the years, dozens of witnesses, suspects and people of interest have been questioned by police,” but the case remained unresolved, the statement said. The cold case was re-examined by the authorities in 2014 and “the information retrieved from the victim’s body was crucial to resolving the case,” the statement said. Blodgett declined to comment on the details of what led to his arrest, speaking to reporters at a news conference on Wednesday. “The investigation found that the suspect lived in Chelmsford in 1988 and had multiple connections with Lawrence,” the press release said, adding that he worked and frequented shops in the city as well as a local church. Tremblay surviving relatives have been notified of the arrest, the DA office said. “I want to thank everyone who participated in this research from start to finish,” said Blodgett. “Their tireless pursuit of justice for Melissa has brought us to this moment. We have never forgotten Melissa, nor have we given up on holding her killer accountable.”
