Flagstaff police are now saying a felon suspected in the disappearance of missing Glendale teacher Cathryn Gorospe helped lead searchers to her remains.

Police say information from Charlie Malzahn, who has been in custody since Oct. 2, helped narrow the search for Gorospe, who was reported missing by her roommate Oct. 1 after she hadn’t returned home from bailing Malzahn out of a Coconino County jail.

“Malzahn ultimately gave investigators some details and directions which led law enforcement to narrow the scope of the search,” according to a Flagstaff police statement Tuesday morning. “Investigators from Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and the Flagstaff Police Department coordinated efforts and combined resources to locate and investigate the area where the body was found.”

The remains were located on private property near Nugget Mine Road, off State Route 69, in Mayer, more than 90 miles from where Gorospe had bailed him out.

Police said Tuesday that DNA testing will take some time to process and verify Gorospe’s identity “beyond doubt.”

However, police “firmly believe” that the DNA will be a match “for multiple reasons, including the fact that the primary suspect in Cathryn’s disappearance led investigators to the remains, the deceased person found meets the physical description of Cathryn including the clothing she was seen wearing the night of her disappearance.”

Gorospe’s case is now being considered a homicide.

Phoenix police say they found Malzahn driving Gorospe’s vehicle early Oct. 2, and he tried to evade police when confronted.

Return to azcentral.com for more on this developing story.

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