Pawtucket police make arrest in 1988 death of 10-year-old girl

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) – Rhode Island police have made an arrest in the 1988 killing of a 10-year-old girl.

Pawtucket police on Thursday said they have charged 59-year-old Joao Monteiro with murder in the death of Christine Cole.

Christine was last seen alive on Jan. 6, 1988, after leaving a Pawtucket market where she had been sent by her mother to buy milk.

Her body was found nearly two months later by a man walking his dog on a beach at Conimicut Point Park in Warwick. A medical examiner determined she had died of “asphyxia with submersion.”

It’s not clear if the suspect has an attorney.

Authorities are expected to release more details about the case later Thursday.

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