Registered sex offender in custody for murdering 8-year-old girl

Charish Perriwinkle disappeared Friday but her body was found at a Jacksonville, FL church on Saturday.

Authorities issued an Amber alert Friday. Smith befriended Charish and her mother while shopping at a Dollar General store. Smith then promised to buy groceries for the girl and her family at a nearby Walmart. Charish’s mother reported her missing from a local Wal-Mart at 11 p.m.

The police arrested Donald James Smith, a registered sex offender, in connection to this case. Police accuse Smith of leaving the store with Charish instead of taking her to McDonalds near the front of Wal-Mart.
Neigbbors reported a tip about a suspicious vehicle this morning near Highlands Baptist Church. The police searched the wooded area near the church with police dogs and found Charish’s body.

"This is a transition from abduction investigation to a murder investigation," Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office spokesman Shannon Hartley told Action News Jax.

The Jacksonville Sherriff’s Department is still searching for a second vehicle that may be involved in this case. A surveillance photo taken at the Wal-Mart parking lot can be viewed on the Jacksonville Sherrif Department’s
Facebook page.

“I’m just devastated for the parents of that child," neighbor Linda Kashirsky told The Florida Times-Union.

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