MERCED, Calif. (AP) — A manhunt is underway for a man wanted in the death of a child whose body was found inside a California home during the search for a missing 8-year-old girl.
Police in Merced said they discovered the body Friday, several days after relatives of Sophia Mason reported they had not had contact with her since December.
Police in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Hayward arrested the girl's mother, and her statements led police to search the house in Merced where her boyfriend resides.
Detectives believe the boyfriend fled after news spread about the search. Merced police said investigators are working to identify the body. They did not release the cause of death.
