NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Kansas woman has been arrested in connection to a Georgia man’s disappearance earlier this year.
Newton County sheriff officials said 35-year-old Danetta Knoblauch of Wichita, Kansas was arrested on July 4 in connection to the disappearance of Melvin Cooksey.
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Channel 2 Action News first reported the story in March when deputies said they began investigating Cookey’s disappearance.
On February 23, Newton County deputies responded to a fire at the home of Melvin Cooksey on Mote Road in Covington.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Cooksey was paralyzed on his left side and required medical equipment and services left inside the house.
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Investigators added that Cooksey was not found inside the house following the fire, and they do not believe that he left his home willingly.
Witnesses said the car seen leaving his home was a white 2006 Ford Focus hatchback with a Kansas tag of C0255.
“We have reason to believe that the vehicle is involved with the disappearance of Cooksey,” the Newton County Sheriff’s Office said in April. “We have reason to believe that the driver is a brown-skinned male, and the passenger is a light-brown-skinned female.”
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Knoblauch was charged with murder, aggravated assault and arson.
Deputies have not clarified what Knoblauch’s role was in the investigation and if there will be additional arrests in the case.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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