FRESNO, Calif. — A man suspected of killing an 8-year-old California girl in March was arrested Saturday after being sought for nearly six months, authorities said.
Dhante Dwayne Jackson, 34, of Hayward, was charged with first-degree murder and willful harm or injury to a child, according to Merced County Sheriff Public Services online booking records.
He was arrested in Newark by the Merced Police Department after being a fugitive since March, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Jackson was wanted for the death of Sophia Mason, of Hayward, whose body was found in early March after police searched a home in Merced, according to the newspaper. Family members reported the child missing on March 8 after telling police that she had last been seen in December, the Chronicle reported.
Mason was found dead in a bathtub, KFSN-TV reported.
The girl’s mother, Samantha Johnson, 30, of Hayward, was arrested on March 11 on suspicion of murder. She has pleaded not guilty, according to KGO-TV. She also was arrested on suspicion of obstruction and an outstanding warrant stemming from a 2021 child abuse incident, KFSN reported.
Jackson fled the area when he learned police were searching his home, the Chronicle reported.
According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Jackson avoided capture with help of several female friends who gave him money, shelter and provided transportation, KGO reported. Four people were arrested Saturday on suspicion of helping Jackson evade arrest, according to the attorney general’s office said.
According to prosecutors, Jackson said that her daughter was forced to live in a metal shed in Jackson’s yard and was subjected to physical and sexual abuse, KFNS reported.
In addition to the murder charge, Johnson was originally arrested by Hayward police on Thursday on suspicion of obstruction and an outstanding warrant stemming from a 2021 child abuse incident, the TV station reported.
Lt. Joey Perez, a Merced police spokesman, told the Los Angeles Times that Johnson originally gave suspicious answers when Hayward detectives questioned her about her daughter.
“The pain of losing a child is unimaginable -- especially when that child was a victim of abuse,” Bonta said in a statement. “We grieve with Sophia’s family and loved ones, and acknowledge that she should be here with us now -- playing, learning, and growing up.”
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