ORLANDO, Fla. — A 40-year-old man who was the last person to have seen Mount Dora teen Justis Garrett alive a year ago has been charged with murder in her death.

Robert Nixon Kern Jr., was arrested on a warrant for second degree murder after being extradited from New York, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced Friday during a news conference.

The body of Justis Garrett, 16, was found on April 18, 2018 in DeLand after she had been reported missing days prior.

FDLE agents said Kern, who they say was in a relationship with Garrett's mother, told investigators that he dropped off Garrett at Mount Dora High School on Friday, April 13. She was reported missing a day later. Several days later, a group of hikers found her body in a wooded area off Service and Gasline roads in DeLand.

"This started as a missing persons investigation, and as such, these type of investigations generally begin with those closest to the missing person," FDLE Orlando Special Agent in Charge Lee Massie said.

Kern was taken into custody in February by Suffolk County (New York) Police on fraud charges in connection to a Volusia County case.

Investigators say he gave them inconsistent statements about where he was on the last day Garrett was seen alive. Agents also say social media activity and phone records also implicate Kern.

"We found out every single inconsistent story he provided was not true," FDLE Special Agent Supervisor Alfonso Williams said.

Kern was extradited to Florida and is being held in the Volusia County Jail without bond.