A man has been charged in the death of a 5-year-old Georgia girl who was reported missing from her home and later found deceased with signs of sexual abuse, an Alabama sheriff said Tuesday.

News outlets report that Jeremy Tremaine Williams, 37, has been charged with capital murder in the death of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland. The girl was reported missing from her Georgia home on Monday and later found deceased in an abandoned home in Phenix City, Alabama.

Holland’s mother told police that when she woke up at 5:50 a.m. Monday that her daughter was gone and the front door of their Columbus home was open, Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor said at a news conference. The girl’s body was found late that night at an abandoned home in Alabama, he said.

“It did appear from the scene that there was some sexual abuse,” Taylor said. He said the cause of death appeared to be asphyxiation.

News outlets report that Williams told a judge he did not want an attorney, but a judge appointed one since this is a capital case where he could face the death penalty if convicted.

Defense lawyer Chuck Floyd requested a gag order in the case, WRBL reported.

“We’ll respect whatever the judge does on that, but clearly everybody wants a fair trial here,” Floyd told WRBL.

Taylor said they believe Williams and the child’s mother knew each other, but added it was “not from a dating perspective.” Taylor said the child’s body was found when law enforcement went to a home where Williams once lived.

Law enforcement officials did not say why they identified Williams as a suspect.