As the search for a missing teen girl continues, her mother’s boyfriend remains locked up in the Orange County Jail.
Investigators believe the girl may be in grave danger or dead.
Forty-three-year-old Sanel Saint Simon was arrested Wednesday for providing false information to law enforcement and trying to destroy evidence related to the case.
Alexandria Chery, 16, was last seen around 7 a.m. Monday, July 28 at the Hawthorne Grove Apartments off Good Homes Road near Old Winter Garden Road. The teen’s mother said Saint Simon was the only person home at the time.
Investigators spent Wednesday searching for evidence in dumpsters near the 16-year-old’s home.
Chery’s mom said when she returned home, she found the girl’s bedding had been stripped, clothes gone, and blood scattered throughout. She said the stains were covered in bleach.
She also found a pair of men’s underwear under the bed. The mother told deputies when Saint Simon saw it, he tried to take it from the room.
“You can fill in the blanks there. Usually when people use bleach, they are trying to clean up something and that’s certainly the case here,” said Sheriff Jerry Demings.
Investigators said Saint Simon claimed he was working all day at Boston Market Monday, but his boss said he left early in the morning.
Deputies are asking for the public’s help for anyone who spotted Saint Simon in a black Pontiac Monday. The car was located in Pine Hills and taken into evidence.
Saint Simon is locked up on $7,650 bond.
If you have any information in this case, call the Orange County Sheriff's Office at (407) 836-HELP (4357).