Man Charged With 9-Year-Old's Murder

SOUDERTON, Pa. - Montgomery County district attorney Risa Vetri Ferman says James Lee Troutman is charged with the murder of his 9-year-old neighbor, Skylar Kauffman, in Souderton.

Images: Suspect In Skylar Kauffman Killing

There were also reports on Tuesday that Troutman confessed to police.

Ferman said a searcher found a pool of blood in the apartment building on Monday night after Kauffman was reported missing.

An investigator came on Troutman, 24,  in the vicinity and Troutman appeared to have blood on his shoes.

Ferman said Kauffman had been sexually abused and strangled.

The incident in Montgomery County has stunned neighbors and police.

Souderton Police Chief James P. Leary told Fox 29 News early Tuesday morning that a suspect was being interviewed.

Kauffman was found dead around midnight, just a few hours after she was reported missing.

She was last seen playing with friends in the parking lot of her apartment building at 2nd and Chestnut streets around 5:30 p.m.

Fox 29's Steve Keeley reported that several neighbors told him that the suspect had a prior run-in with Skylar Kauffman approximately two weeks ago. Several people told Keeley they saw the girl running away from the suspect's apartment, screaming and crying during that incident.

Keeley said the incident was confirmed by several officers as well as the police chief, but no other details were available as of Tuesday morning.

Ferman also confirmed the prior incident happened. She also said Troutman didn't have a criminal record.

A significant amount of blood and a trail with some of Kauffman's belongings, including her boots, led police from the apartment building's basement to the area where her body was found wrapped in a blanket, Leary said.

"She was out playing. She didn't return for dinner. She was quite late. Her family became concerned. They contacted us. As it darkened, we became concerned. When it became full dark, we were very concerned," Leary said. "We mobilized our forces, and we conducted a very, very careful search of the general area and a very specific search of the local area. And unfortunately we found her body in the Dumpster."

Police believe the 9-year-old was beaten during a sexual assault and violent struggle with her neighbor at the U-shaped apartment complex.

Officers interviewed the man once, felt something was amiss, then questioned him a second time, which is when they allegedly spotted blood.

"Each time they noticed something more and more alarming about his conduct and his response to the questions," Leary said. "… As they interviewed him, they noticed some blood on his person. And we have been able to gather some physical evidence that has linked him to the crime."

Police said the man has been cooperative during interviews, and they are continuing to investigate and collect evidence in the case. Police said the suspect was known to them but not for anything like this alleged crime.

Leary said Kauffman's family has now been notified of her death, and the police chief was working early Tuesday with school officials, who will be notifying students of their classmate's death and providing grief counselors.

"We fully expect to continue our investigation, to continue to gather the evidence, to analyze the evidence. We expect to charge him within hours. We expect to successfully prosecute him," Leary said.