Man arrested for allegedly raping and killing missing autistic Sacramento woman

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. (TCD) -- Police arrested a 37-year-old man they allege raped and killed a missing 20-year-old woman.

Emma Roark was last seen Jan. 27 near Coloma Road and McGregor Drive, the Rancho Cordova Police Department said. Detectives from the Rancho Cordova Police Department and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit found Roark’s body Feb. 1 in a "secluded rural area" located at a river access point. Rancho Cordova Police said in a statement Roark was the victim of a homicide.

According to KXTV-TV, Roark was autistic and went missing while out on a walk.

On Feb. 11, Rancho Cordova announced detectives from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office took Mikilo Morgan Rawls into custody, where he is being held without bail. Sacramento County Jail records show he was booked on charges of murder, rape by means of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear, and sodomy against will by use of force, violence, duress or menace.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Rawls is homeless and has a criminal record in the area since 2005. Sacramento County Sheriff Chief Deputy Jim Barnes called Roark’s killing "gruesome," and added, "You can’t unsee this. This is as bad as it gets," the Sacramento Bee reports.

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