The body of a missing Lawrence mother was found Tuesday afternoon in Haverhill, days after she disappeared from her apartment complex.
During a press conference Tuesday night, police also announced that a man who lives in the same building has been arrested. They expect him to be charged with murder.
Police found the body of Carol Flaz, 37, in Haverhill’s Kenoza Lake Conservation Area. Flaz was discovered by a specially trained K9 three days after the 37-year-old mother of two disappeared.
“This was essentially a 24-hour effort to locate Carol Flaz,” Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker told reporters.
Tucker identified the suspect as Cristian Monterro, 35. Authorities said he lives in the same building as Flaz, but they could not say if or how the two knew each other.
Julissa Nunez, a Lawrence Community Advocate, told Boston 25 News that Flaz was last seen knocking on a neighbor’s door at her apartment building at 590 Broadway around 7 a.m. Saturday. Nunez said there are security cameras throughout the building.
Detectives would not say what information led them to the area near Kenoza Lake on Tuesday, but said they interviewed Monterro the same day.
“It’s not a murder charge, yet,” Tucker stressed at the news conference. “He is being held on charges of witness intimidation and misleading an investigation. We expect that in the coming days, when the coroner completes the autopsy, those charges will be upgraded to murder.”
Tucker said more details about the case and Monterro’s arrest would be released Wednesday morning, when Monterro appears in court.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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