Police: Man arrested in Phylicia Barnes' death

BALTIMORE, MD — A man has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the death of the Monroe teenager whose body was found in a river months after her 2010 disappearance in Baltimore.

Baltimore City State's Attorney Gregg Bernstein announced the count against Michael Johnson, 28, on Thursday.

Johnson was arrested Wednesday in the death of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes, officials said. Johnson's attorney said his client maintains his innocence.

Johnson is the ex-boyfriend of Phylicia’s older half-sister, whom she had been visiting when she disappeared. He was the last person to see her alive, according to officials.

Phylicia's father, Russell Barnes, told Channel 9 Thursday that he was suspicious of Johnson from the beginning.

"He did not help us do anything with looking for Phylicia, and it seemed bizarre and just out of touch,” Russell Barnes said.

He said he feels a sense of relief following the arrest.

A memorial garden for Phylicia has been planted at Union Academy in Monroe, where the teenager was an honor student.

Principal Lawrence Sullivan said Phylicia was a great student, had an amazing personality and was talented in the classroom and in the theater.

“Phylicia was taken from us last year but we are still going to be dealing with this as a family, as a community and as a school,” Sullivan said. “We just hope there is some closure for her family and our thoughts and prayers always go out to her and her family.”

Barnes went missing Dec. 28, 2010.

SLIDESHOW: Photos of Phylicia Barnes

Soon after Barnes vanished, Baltimore police alerted local media, saying her disappearance was unusual because she had no history of disputes with her family or trouble with the law.

Police called it one of the strangest and most vexing missing persons cases they had investigated, and despite getting help from the FBI, they had few leads.

Police worked to keep the search public, posting a photo of a smiling Barnes from her Facebook page on electronic billboards along highways in the Baltimore region. The effort spurred scores of tips, but none panned out.

More than 100 police officers combed a northwest Baltimore park in the weeks after she vanished, but found no clues to her whereabouts.

Later, hundreds of law enforcement officers and volunteers searched a state park south of Baltimore and leafleted the area of the city where she was last seen. That daylong effort again failed to turn up any clues.

Then, a body was discovered April 20, 2011, in the Susquehanna River near the Conowingo Dam, which is about an hour north of where Barnes was last seen.

A tattoo on the body grabbed investigators' attention because Barnes had a tattoo on her lower right leg. Dental records were used to positively identify the 16-year-old, police said.

TIMELINE: Phylicia Barnes case

Medical examiners ruled her death a homicide. Officials have not released her cause of death.

On April 9, a bill aimed at improving coordination between law enforcement and community groups when a child disappears passed in the Maryland's House and Senate. The "Phylicia's Law" bill was named in memory of Barnes.

The bill requires state officials to publish a list of missing children and annual statistics. They may also keep a list of groups of volunteers to help with searches and local law enforcement must try to work with them.

http://bcove.me/lx70baad

--The Associated Press contributed to this report

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