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Authorities: Arrest made in Ga. killing of 7-year-old Jorelys Rivera

Jorelys Rivera AP Photo/Cherokee County Sheriff's Department

(CBS/AP) CANTON, Ga. - A 20-year-old maintenance worker has been charged with murder in the beating death of 7-year-old Jorelys Rivera, who was abducted and killed at a north Georgia apartment complex. Her body was left in a trash bin, authorities say.

Authorities say Ryan Brunn, who lived and worked in the apartment complex, was arrested on a murder warrant Wednesday afternoon.

"We are confident that Brunn is the killer and that is why he is in custody," said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan, declining to detail what evidence investigators have against him.

Rivera, who was last seen Friday evening at a playground in Canton, died of blows to the head and was stabbed and sexually assaulted before her body was placed in a trash bin at the complex, according to an autopsy report released on Tuesday. 

Authorities say the autopsy reveals Rivera was killed within 90 minutes of her disappearance, according to an autopsy. Her body was found three days later.

Investigators say they believe she was taken to a nearby vacant apartment, where she was sexually assaulted, stabbed and beaten to death. 

Keenan has called the killing "very calculated and planned."

More on Crimesider
December 5, 2011 - Police find body of missing Georgia 7-year-old girl Jorelys Rivera
December 6, 2011 - Autopsy reveals 7-year-old Jorelys Rivera died shortly after her disappearance

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