14 DAY TRIAL // Chester Duane Price was arrested yesterday, November 29, for the murder of missing girl Andrea Gail Parsons of Port Salerno, Florida.
Andrea Gail disappeared almost 20 years ago, on July 11, 1993. At around 6 p.m., she was seen from a car by a local couple, in front of a grocery store where she had candy and soda.
Although Parsons' body was never discovered, mounting evidence points to Price as the one responsible for the little girl's disappearance.
“The investigation has concluded that Price abducted and killed Andrea Gail Parsons. [...] Tragically, at this time, her body has not been recovered,” a spokesperson for the sheriff's department states.
Police believe the suspect knew the victim. Price has been charged with the kidnapping of a minor under the age of 13 and first-degree murder.
According to ABC News, the suspect has already been arraigned in the Parsons case. He is currently being held without bail at Martin County Jail.
The case was supervised by Martin County Sheriff Robert L. Crowder, who put together a team to look into the girl's suspected kidnapping and murder.
“The resolve to find Andrea and get answers surrounding the circumstances of her disappearance has never wavered as detectives and others assigned have dedicated their careers to piecing this puzzle together.
“In 2011, I assigned a team of detectives, several 'fresh sets of eyes,' to begin another review of the high-volume of evidence that had been previously collected in this case,” he states.
Although officers haven't released what evidence they have against Price, they did reveal he had a record, an “extensive criminal history with arrests dating back to 1991.” Previous charges are for drug-related transactions and violent crimes.
He was booked before for cocaine possession and the sale of a controlled substance, and proved he had an aggressive streak by landing in jail for domestic violence and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.