The FBI did arrest a man court had declared dead over 16 years ago in Mississippi. The man is said to have kidnapped and killed a girl before damping her body in Central Louisiana woods.

The arrest of Thomas Steven Sander, 53, is a culmination of a long manhunt; the arrest was done on Sunday at a truck stop in Mississippi.

The man is said to have been involved in a series of crimes after abandoning his family before court declaring him dead. To the amazement of many he lived unnoticed despite being arrested on several occasions.

He is said to have kidnapped Lexis Roberts, 12, whose remains were discovered last month and her mother has gone missing though she is not a suspect.

Mr. Saunders was alone at the time of arrest at Flying Truck stop. The arrest was done by a combined effort by the FBI and sheriffs.

The suspect was a free man on the streets of Louisiana, he is said to have resided in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and Nevada where he masqueraded as a laborer, welder and as a scrap metal dealer.

He was arrested for several crimes some involving minors; others were possession of illegal drugs and motor vehicle offences. To add to that he had been jailed in Georgia for battery.

The girl’s grandmother said he met the girl and her mother in Nevada a few months ago. They spend time in Williams and Flagstaff Ariz., and the Grand Canyon National Park on the Labor Day weekend.

Hunters found the girl’s body in Catahoula Parish Oct. 8 with bullet wounds.

Security cameras show him buying ammunition on Sept.3 at a Walmart, Las Vegas. The bullets found on the girl’s body were consistent with ones he had bought, the police revealed.

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