(AP) As relatives grew frantic searching a Randolph neighborhood for a 16-year-old girl who had been missing for hours this weekend, her neighbors were having a party.

The sound of laughter and singing, including the strains of "Happy Birthday" in Spanish, wafted from the house next door as family members searched for Jennifer Parks on Saturday.

What they didn't know was that the girl was already dead, her dismembered body stuffed into a steamer trunk and stashed in the back of a neighbor's car just a few feet away. The girl's 18-year-old next-door neighbor pleaded not guilty Monday to her murder as Park's family struggled to come to terms with what had happened.

"She was there that whole day," said Cathy Dodd, Jennifer's aunt. "We were walking around the yard, looking for her, and she was still in the trunk. It's hard to believe something like this can happen to your own family."

Jonathan A. Zarate, of Randolph, is charged with murder, weapons offenses and hindering apprehension in the death of Parks.

Zarate invited the 16-year-old to his home to watch television but became angry, punching, beating and then stabbing her in the basement about 2 a.m. Saturday, Morris County Prosecutor Michael M. Rubbinaccio said Monday.

Authorities say Zarate, who is being held on $1 million bail, used a knife to cut the legs off the body before putting the dismembered corpse in the steamer trunk. Allegedly, he then stashed the trunk for a day in his father's Jeep.

By Wayne Parry ©MMV The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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