Alaska: Police arrested a man on suspicion of kidnapping, strangling and sexually assaulting a ten-year-old girl in Kotzebue, Alaska, 2KTUU reported. Peter Wilson, 41, a relative of her family, faces charges of murder, kidnapping, sexual abuse of a minor and tampering with evidence, The news outlet noted. Anchorage Daily News also noted that "The federal charges said Wilson was related to the child." Allegedly, he dumped her body in thick tundra near the "remote Inupiat town on Alaska's northwestern coast," after kidnapping her when she was at the local park on September 6.

Police evidence in Ashley's murder includes surveillance footage

According to prosecutors, surveillance footage was used as part of the investigation. It showed Peter Wilson riding an ATV with what appeared to be Ashley, wearing a pink jumper, on it. The ATV traveled in the direction of where Ashley's body was found. Sniffer dogs participated as well, and DNA found on the little girl matched that of Peter Wilson. Her cell-phone, found in a jacket pocket by a woman known to the court as JJ helped to suggest he was with her after she went missing.

The autopsy showed that 10-year-old Ashley suffered four counts of sexual abuse, and was strangled even though she put up a fight, with defensive wounds found on her hands.

While it took eight days to recover her body, police are certain they have the right man in custody. They put together a timeline for the court that started with Ashley's disappearance around the same time the accused went off the radar for about two hours.

The timeline pertaining to the Alaska suspect and murder

The court heard that the timeline of the events was thought to implicate Wilson.

Wilson had been drinking with some friends that afternoon. Between 5 and 6 PM, Ashley went missing from the park. During that time, Wilson left his friends and went off on the ATV. Using video footage of the ATV, and tracking records of Ashley's phone, it's alleged that he took her to an area "approximately two miles southeast of Kotzebue." From just after 7.00PM until one minute past 8 PM, the phone appeared to be out of signal range.

Then it reappeared southeast of town, going back. The phone was near Wilson's house, where it started ringing in his pocket after he "passed out" at a friend's place after seeming to be intoxicated. It was Ashley's family calling as they stressed about her absence. Later, Wilson claimed he found the phone.

The suspect in the case faces charges for telling lies to the FBI officers carrying out the investigation, as well. While 2KTUU note he is a relative of Ashley Johnson-Barr's family, ABC reported that he allegedly lied and said he didn't know her. The indictment also noted that he claimed he never went for a ride on an ATV the day of the murder. Ashley, a fifth-grader, died on September 6, her body was recovered September 14, and the suspected killer appeared in court on September 24. If found guilty on all charges, life in prison is the expected outcome.
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