The body of a girl found in an abandoned mobile home was identified Saturday as that of a 10-year-old who was abducted, authorities said.
Police canceled an Amber Alert for Jetseta Marrie Gage on Friday after finding the body in a rundown mobile home near the small town of Kalona, about 45 miles south of the girl’s home in Cedar Rapids.
Authorities formally identified the remains Saturday. An autopsy showed the girl had suffocated, the Johnson County sheriff’s office said.
Sex offender held in custody
The man accused of snatching Gage from her home was being held Saturday on $1 million bond.
Roger P. Bentley, 37, a registered sex offender, made an initial court appearance earlier in the day in Linn County District Court on one count of child stealing. Additional charges could be filed by Monday, authorities said.
According to state’s sex offender registry, Bentley was convicted in 1994 of lascivious acts with a child.
Police said he was working on the van of Jetseta’s mother, Trena Gage, Thursday night before disappearing with the child.
Gage, who was away at the time taking a college course, said her 7-year-old son saw Bentley leave in his pickup with Jetseta. The children’s grandmother also was at home.
