A Kansas woman has been charged with murder in the disappearance of a disabled Georgia man after a house fire at his Atlanta-area home, deputies said.
Danetta Knoblauch, 35, of Wichita, was arrested on July 4, nearly five months after Melvin Cooksey vanished from his home in Covington, Georgia, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office announced in a July 6 news release.
Knoblauch is charged with murder, aggravated assault and and first-degree arson, online records show.
Cooksey was reported missing Feb. 23, a day before someone set his home on fire, sheriff’s office spokesperson Caitlin Jett told Press.
Crews responded to the blaze but didn’t find Cooksey there, deputies said. Family members expressed concern for the missing man, who they said was partially paralyzed on his left side.
Witnesses reported seeing a white hatchback driving away from the area shortly before the fire, according to authorities.
In March, the sheriff’s office released photos of the suspect’s car bearing a Kansas tag, which deputies said had been stolen, media reported. Investigators said a man and a woman were spotted in the vehicle as it left Cooksey’s home.
Authorities didn’t say how or if Cooksey and Knoblauch knew one another. His cause of death is also unknown.
Additional information wasn’t released, but deputies said the investigation is ongoing.
Knoblauch remained in custody at the Newton County Jail without bond as of July 7, online records show.
Covington is about 35 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.