Celina Cass' Stepfather Checks Into Mental Institution

Aug. 4, 2011— -- Celina Cass' stepfather, whose truck has been hauled away by police investigating the girl's death, has checked himself into a mental health facility, ABC News affiliate WMUR reported today.

The station also reported that the girl's body was found wrapped in a blanket when a dive team discovered her body in the Connecticut River near a dam a quarter mile from her West Stewartstown, N.H., home earlier this week.

No suspects or persons of interest have been identified by police, but investigators have strung crime scene tape around the Cass home, obtained a search warrant for the house, and on Wednesday they hauled away the silver pick-up truck that was usually driven by the girl's stepfather Wendell Noyes.

Noyes, 47, has checked into a psychiatric facility, WMUR reported. It is the second time in recent days Noyes has been hospitalized. He was rushed to the hospital after acting bizarrely on Monday, the day Celina's body was discovered in the river.

The stepfather has a history of psychiatric problems. He was involuntarily committed to a mental facility in 2003 because of schizophrenia and arrested for threatening an ex-girlfriend, according to court documents. At the time, the judge in the case wrote that Noyes was "a potentially serious likelihood of danger to himself and others."

Noyes was charged with violating a protective order held by his ex-girlfriend and for criminal trespassing, criminal threatening and hindering apprehension. The girlfriend, who lived with her two kids at the time, said Noyes broke into her home while she was sleeping, lifted her mattress and slammed it down and then threatened to throw her down the stairs.

Earlier this week Assistant Attorney General Jane Young said Celina's death is considered suspicious based on "a visual observation of Miss Cass' body both in and out of water."

An autopsy completed Tuesday yielded no definitive answers as to how the 11-year-old died.

Celina Cass' Father Speaks Out

When Celina's biological father, Adam Laro, spoke with WMUR Wednesday, he could only speculate as to what might have happened to his daughter.

"She could have slipped off and fell, banged her head. We don't know. But they claim that they found, what looks like her body was placed in the water. That's the scary part," Laro said.

Laro also spoke with WCAX Wednesday, telling the station he's having difficulty coping with the loss of his daughter.

"I don't even know how to explain it. It's crushing ... it's heart-crushing … It's like a sore that is never going to leave," he said.

Laro told WCAX he hasn't been included in plans for Celina's memorial service.

"That makes me frustrated. It upsets me," he said. "You know, she is my daughter and I want to be part of that."

Laro, who says he voluntarily gave up custody of Celina but was allowed to visit, didn't notice anything worrisome at the Cass home. But he was troubled to find out Celina's bed had been moved to the basement. She had previously shared a bedroom with her sister, he told WCAX.

"Next thing I know, they are ... staying on an air mattress on the cellar floor. Staying down in the cellar. To me it's like … why would they do that?"

Celina was last seen Monday evening, July 25, at a computer in the home where she lived with her mother, stepfather and 13-year-old sister.

"It's kind of overwhelming for the whole town," said Shannon Towle, 48, who lives across the street from the Cass family. "I just don't think they're sharing everything. I hope they have more to go on."

The community is scared, Towle said, adding she's especially worried because she has a 13-year-old daughter.

As the town awaits more information about Celina's death, her body has been turned over to Celina's mother, Louisa Noyes.

The memorial service for Celina Cass will be in West Stewartstown, according to a Facebook post from consignment shop Lads and Ladybugs, where Celina's mother works. The store will be closed until Monday, August 8.