Couple sought after child’s body found in Colo. home arrested in Nevada

Couple arrested in death of girl found in CO house

MONUMENT, Colo. — Colorado authorities say a couple who had custody of a girl whose body was found in a vacant home have been arrested in Nevada.

El Paso County Sheriff’s Lt. Lari Sevene said Wednesday that Hanif Sims and his girlfriend, Monique Lynch, were in custody in Henderson, Nev. She said investigators had just learned of their arrest and had few details.

Sims is the father of 9-year-old Genesis Sims, whose body was found May 14 in the crawl space of a vacant town house in Monument, about 50 miles south of Denver.

Authorities say Genesis had lived in the town house with Sims and Lynch.

Investigators had been looking for the couple, who moved out of the home early last year.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

MONUMENT, Colo. (AP) — Arrest warrants have been issued for the father of a girl whose body was found in a vacant home near Colorado Springs.

Word of the warrants came Wednesday, a day after investigators confirmed that remains found in a crawl space at a home in Monument were those of 9-year-old Genesis Sims.

Hanif Sims is wanted on a misdemeanor child abuse charge and felony second-degree assault. El Paso County sheriff’s spokeswoman Lari Sevene says she’s trying to find out how the warrants relate to the discovery of Genesis’ body.

Hanif Sims and girlfriend Monique Lynch once lived at the home. Authorities say Genesis wasn’t with the couple when they arrived at a Los Angeles homeless shelter in March 2009 after moving.

Information from: The Gazette, www.gazette.com