Yesterday, the New Hampshire Attorney General announced that there’s finally been an arrest for the horrific 2011 murder of 11-year-old Celina Cass. According to a press release, 52-year-old Wendell Noyes, Cass’s stepfather, has been charged with second-degree murder, five years after the girl’s body was found submerged in the Connecticut River.
The body of Celina Cass was pulled from the Connecticut River in August 2011. [Photo: CBS Boston]
Days after Celina’s death, according to CBS, Noyes checked himself into a mental hospital. NBC News has covered the case since first happened, and reports that Noyes acted very bizarre in front of their cameras in 2011. At one point, they said, Noyes threw himself off his porch, crawled along the ground and pretended he had a grenade in his hand, which he then attempted to toss. His most recent interaction with the law occurred last fall, when he was arrested and charged with trespassing.
Over the last five years, the Attorney General said the case has remained active, and there’s no word on why it took this long to make an arrest and bring charges. A major crimes truck was camped outside Noyes’ trailer after his arrest. It’s unclear what evidence they may have gathered from inside. A motive for the murder is still unclear, but authorities say more charges are likely. Noyes will be arraigned on June 21.
“Sort of weepy,” Marcia Laro, the girl’s paternal grandmother told CBS Boston about the family’s reaction to the arrest. “Just a relief. Just to know that they arrested him and that they have been working on this case all this time.”
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Photo: CBS Boston