BOW, New Hampshire — A man from the Seattle area was arrested Wednesday in connection to the death of a 7-year-old girl after he fled the state to escape charges, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Demiko A. Fox, who lived in Kirkland at the time of the girl's death, is suspected of second-degree murder after a child in his care was brought to a local hospital with "no pulse and obvious signs of abuse" April 11, according to a press release. The girl was stabilized, but due to an acute traumatic brain injury, she later died April 17. The King County medical examiner ruled the girl's death a homicide on July 17.
Kirkland police tracked the suspect to a hotel in Bow, N.H. With help from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bow Police Department, the suspect was taken into custody without incident on Wednesday morning and booked into jail as a fugitive of justice.
The suspect will be held without bail in New Hampshire and will face an arraignment and extradition hearing on Thursday before he is brought back to Washington state. The suspect faces potential second-degree murder charges in Kirkland.
The U.S. Marshals Service reported that Fox was a "student-athlete," but they did not disclose which college he attended. A social media profile with his name and origins said he was "committed to New England College" to play football.
"We were aware that he had a plan to go to college out there in New Hampshire," said Tiffany Trombley, a public information officer for Kirkland Police Department. KING 5's request for further detail on which college he planned to attend went unanswered Wednesday night.
Trombley said there was a "coordinated effort to be able to arrest him."
Fox told authorities that the girl's mother was his sister and that she no longer wanted her. But Trombley told KING 5 that police "weren't able to find, or confirm, a biological connection. But we do know that he was the person that was responsible for her care at the time. And that's the connection: he knew the family."
Court documents also said that Fox has a violent background, specifically, a pending felony for allegedly punching his girlfriend's front teeth out. That girlfriend was among the witnesses spoken to by investigators.
King County Prosecutors have requested that his bail be set at $3 million.
Attorneys will address whether Fox is waiving extradition back to Washington state on Aug. 11.