A missing girl who disappeared from the streets in Colombia has been found dead in a river.
Laura Páez, nine, has been missing since January 16 when she left her home in Chinquinquirá, a town in the central Boyacá department, to walk her dog. She didn’t come back.
Paez’s body was found Tuesday, lying across rocks on the banks of the Minero River, just hours after the suspect, Daniel Zambrano, was arrested and confessed to abandoning her.
The medical examiner’s office was able to positively identify the body Wednesday.
Zambrano initially told investigators that he sexually assaulted, murdered and dumped Páez in an area of the Minero River, located along the border of the Boyacá and Santander departments.
He subsequently withdrew his statement as part of an attempt to call off the investigation, which is led by the Public Prosecution Service.
Páez’s brother, Diego Velandia, told Caracol Radio that neighbors noticed Zambrano had been stalking the girl for three weeks.
The child’s mother, Miriam Velandia, was at work when she walked out with the dog and didn’t notice she wasn’t home at 3 a.m. when she arrived.
The body of Laura Páez was found Tuesday in a river in Boyacá, Colombia. The nine-year-old had been missing since January 16 when she left her home to walk her dog

Daniel Zambrano was arrested on Monday in connection with the disappearance of nine-year-old Laura Páez in Colombia. He confessed to sexually assaulting the girl, killing her and dumping her in a river before retracting his statement
Authorities suspended the search for Páez when they discovered several surveillance videos showing Zambrano accompanying the little girl.
One video showed Zambrano walking into a store with Páez on January 16 at 8:01 p.m.
A second security camera showed the young girl standing next to Zambrano and two people at 8:56 p.m.
Zambrano then left with Páez in a vehicle that police found in an auto body shop on the outskirts of Boyacá.

Volunteers and soldiers investigate the Minero River, where the body of Laura Páez was found on Tuesday

Laura Páez was kidnapped on January 16 and found dead in a river in Colombia on Tuesday
Authorities believe Zambrano took Páez to the store before disappearing.
“Biological fluids and other details were found during the inspections and are being assessed by the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences and specialized experts,” the Public Prosecution Service said in a statement.
The Public Prosecution Service is waiting for the results before charging Zambrano with murder.
“We firmly reject any form of violence that threatens the lives and integrity of children,” Boyacá Governor Carlos Amaya’s office said in a statement. “Defending their rights and the well-being of our children is an unwavering priority for this administration.”