Florida - Man accused in 9-year-old's rape, kidnapping

Human remains found in backyard of Florida

Florida authorities say they located human remains Tuesday in the backyard of an accused child rapist during a search of the suspect’s backyard, MyFoxOrlando.com reported.

Port Orange police were tipped off by two people who said James Maxwell appeared concerned about pending construction to be done in his backyard, the report said. Maxwell, 43, was reportedly arrested in December and charged with raping and kidnapping a 9-year-old girl.

After obtaining a search warrant, police used cadaver dogs and hired a ground radar company to locate a badly decomposed body buried in the yard, the report said. Police said they identified the body, described as an adult, but would not release the name until a DNA test confirmation likely available in a few weeks.

Police are considering the investigation a homicide and say Maxwell is a suspect in the case, the report said. Maxwell has a long rap sheet that includes charges for attempted murder, Bay 9 News reported.

Police plan on searching in the backyard for the next few days, the report said.

In December, Maxwell was at a holiday party in a neighbor’s house, and when the 9-year-old girl was put to bed at 10 p.m., Maxwell allegedly took her from the house and sexually assaulted her, Bay News 9 reported.

He returned the girl to the Port Orange Police Station about an hour and a half later after the alleged attack, the report said, and police were able to arrest him shortly after.