A 25-year-old man from Kansas was arrested on Tuesday, October 3, in connection with the death of a 5-year-old girl identified as Zoey Felix.
Mickel W. Cherry, from Topeka, was taken into custody and is currently in the Shawnee County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and rape. Online jail records show he is being held on a $2 million bond. His next appearance in court is slated for December 21.
The incident began when police received a call about a medical emergency at a Topeka gas station on Monday at around 6 p.m. Upon their arrival, they found first responders from the Topeka Fire Department trying to assist the young girl.
She was later taken to a local hospital, where she was declared dead. The exact cause of her death has not been disclosed by the authorities.
The Topeka Police Department, in their statement, mentioned that upon initial investigation, the death appeared suspicious. Cherry quickly became a person of interest and was arrested soon after. It has been noted that he was known to the victim.
Reports indicate that Cherry was a homeless man residing in a homeless camp, along with Zoey and some members of her family.
Neighbors of the Felix family told reporters that the house Zoey had previously lived in with her mother lacked utilities and she was often seen wandering the street alone, dirty, asking neighbors for food and if she could stay with them. Recently, her mother, who was on probation for DUI and aggravated battery, had evicted Zoey, her father, and her half-sister from the house, along with Cherry, who apparently lived with them. All ended up in the nearby homeless camp.