Ryan Brunn Arrested for Jorelys Rivera Murder, Lived at Same Apartment Complex
Police arrested Ryan Brunn for the murder of 7-year-old Jorelys Rivera.
Dec. 7, 2011— -- Police today arrested a maintenance worker who lives at the same apartment complex where 7-year-old Jorelys Rivera is believed to have been bludgeoned, stabbed and sexually assaulted in a vacant apartment near the playground where she disappeared.
Ryan Brunn, 20, doesn't have a criminal history, investigators said, but Georgia Bureau of Investigation director Vernon Keenan told reporters, "We are confident that Brunn is the killer and that is why he is in custody."
Jorelys disappeared Friday evening from the playground at the River Ridge apartment community, where she lived with her mother in Canton, Ga. Her body was discovered Monday in one of the complex's dumpsters.
"This investigation will continue on for several months," Keenan said today. "This is a mammoth case. We believe this horrendous crime was planned and calculated and we've recovered a lot of evidence that will require processing."
Prior to being arrested on murder charges today at 12:40 p.m., Brunn had been under surveillance since last night, Keenan said.
"We reached a point this afternoon where we had sufficient evidence to obtain arrest warrants for murder of the 7-year-old child," he said.
Keenan would not say what evidence police had gathered, but did say Brunn "had access to the trash compactor."
"The state crime lab has much evidence they are still processing," Keenan said. "They are updating us routinely."
Brunn was well known in the apartment complex because he was employed there.
"To the extent he was known to the family of the child, I don't know," said Keenan.
A neighbor told ABC News affiliate WSB, "I just knew it was him."
The neighbor also told the TV station that investigators had removed the suspect's car and items from his apartment and that Brunn lives with the property manager's son.
Canton Police Chief Jeff Lance, who attended today's press conference with heavy circles under his eyes, told reporters, "We've had a lot of men and women working ... around the clock. There's a lot of tired people right now."
He said they accomplished their goal -- "to make an arrest for what happened to this sweet, innocent little girl."
Who Is Ryan Brunn?
Brunn's Facebook page, which was public but has since been disabled, said he is from Brooklyn, N.Y., and speaks both Spanish and English.
The information section said, "Hello! I'm Ryan I live in Canton GA I have a wonderful Life/Family/Friends.Im very outgoing not shy at all so if ya wanna get to no me hit me up. :-)"
Recent entries were filled with updates about sports teams. The last post was on Nov. 28, and read, "Gettin off here bout to eat some PIZZA! Hit me up! Lets go GIANTS.."
But some of his older entries appear angry, and are filled with expletives. In one post, he ranted about someone named "Connor Cheek." Brunn wrote he's "the biggest p***y b**ch i ever met in my life."
In an entry dated July 6, Brunn appeared to be commenting on the July 5 Casey Anthony acquittal.
"At wrk tires as fuk.. Tht b**ch was not gulity for killin her kid b**ch should of died really but she'll get her," he wrote.
His online activity on the social networking site indicated he moved at least once this year. In a Jan. 26 entry, he mentioned working at Krystal restaurant in Dawsonville, Ga., and in October he appeared to be saying goodbye to his friends in Dahlonega, Ga., which is where his mother lives, according to her Facebook page.
"New job,apt,life coming soon cant wait ima miss DAHLONEGA tho," he wrote. "Yall n***a no who u r!! But moneys betta right now.. Hit ya n***a up i wont forget yall.."
He appeared to have moved to Canton, Ga., on Nov. 5, which he refers to as "moving day" on his Facebook page.
"Not ready to go but i got to," he wrote. "Im gonna miss yall/Dahlonega.. I Love yall hit me up n we'll do something sometime.. Got my own place now. :-)"
Investigators are piecing together Brunn's history.
"We have sent agents to another state and also other counties and we are going to backtrack all of his activities," Keenan said. "We still have much work to do."
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