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Charges were filed in Meigs County this morning against a man for the murder of a West Virginia teenager who had gone missing in early August. 

 

Ernest M. Roach, 36, of Racine, Ohio, was taken into custody on federal charges earlier this month after West Virginia police discovered that Erika Brown, 16, had made contact with him. He had transported her to Ohio from Charleston, West Virginia. 

 

Several investigative entities were involved in the search for Brown, who was reported missing by her family Aug. 10. The United States Marshal Service became involved with the investigation because a minor was transferred across state lines. 

 

Kanahwa County Sheriff's Office reached out to Meigs County Sheriff's Office Aug. 27. Roach is in custody of the U.S. Marshal Service in South Central Regional Jail in West Virginia. 

 

According to Meigs County Sheriff Keith O. Wood, Brown's body was discovered by jet skiers this past weekend in the Ohio River in Portland, Ohio. The autopsy and identification of her body were completed yesterday.