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MPR News Staff

Amber Alert canceled after child's body found

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Updated: 8:50 p.m. | Posted: 2:13 p.m.

Meeker County authorities say the search for 5-year-old Alayna Ertl has ended after she was found dead Saturday afternoon.

The Meeker County sheriff said she was discovered by law enforcement at a residence in southern Cass county.

Also located at the scene was the 25-year-old man suspected of taking Alayna from her Watkins home earlier in the day. He's in custody, but has not been charged.

The girl's disappearance prompted a statewide Amber Alert.

The child was last seen at her home in Watkins at 2 a.m. Saturday when she was put to bed, according to a release from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Her mother discovered her missing at 8 a.m. A man, described in the alert as a family friend who had been staying at the home, was also gone.

Many details — including the connection to Cass County — need to be sorted out, said Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze. "That's what the investigation is trying to determine at this point. We don't have the information on why [he chose] that location."

Cruze said the death is being investigated as a homicide.

"Our concern right now is making sure the family's ok, and getting them the resources they need, and then continuing our investigation," Cruze said. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is helping with the investigation.

The Cass County Sheriff's Office is expected to release more information through its Facebook page Sunday morning.