A man was arrested Thursday in connection with the slaying of his wife and the disappearance of his 11-year-old stepson, who remains missing. Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said Curtis M. Lopez is being charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Jane McQuain, who was found dead in her Germantown apartment at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
An Amber Alert remains in effect for her son, William. The boy was last seen Sept. 30, police said.
Manger said McQuain had been dead about 10 to 12 days before her body was found after a friend called police, saying he hadn’t been able to contact her. He said she suffered upper-body trauma, but police are still waiting for a medical examiner’s report on the cause of death.
Lopez was apprehended Thursday morning in the Charlotte area.
Manger said he didn’t know what Lopez has told North Carolina authorities, but police are still hoping to find William, a sixth-grader at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, alive.
“Our priority, our focus right now is to locate William McQuain,” Manger said.
An expert on missing children says it’s concerning that the boy hasn’t been found, but most abducted children are ultimately recovered alive.
“There’s a lot of scenarios where this child can be found and recovered in good health,” said Bob Lowery, executive director of the missing-children’s division of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “That’s why we never give up, even when the circumstances look dire.”
Extra counselors are available at the boy’s middle school for students and staff, Montgomery County schools spokesman Dana Tofig said. He would not say when William last attended class, but said the school is providing information to the police.
“Our main concern is helping the police however we can and supporting our students,” Tofig said.
William is described as biracial, about 5 feet tall and 85 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information can call police at 240-773-5070 or Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477) or 240-773-8477.
