What began Sunday as a missing person's case ended with the arrest of a 26-year-old Denver man, after the 16-year-old girl's body was found in his home today, police said.

Neither the cause of the girl's death nor her name has been released by the Denver Medical Examiner's Office. But posters in the neighborhood report that a 16 year old named Alicia Martinez has been missing since Saturday night.

Denver Police Investigator John White said the girl who was found dead had been missing since going to a party Saturday night.

Residents said Martinez lived a few blocks away from Edward Timothy Romero, who was arrested today. His home is at 4148 Decatur St..

"We don't know of any established relationship between the two," said police spokesman Sonny Jackson. "Through investigating and talking with people, we learned he was someone we needed to check."

Romero surrendered when police came to arrest him.

He is being held without bond in the Denver City Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Romero has had several run-ins with Denver police, records show. In 2007, he was booked into the Denver City Jail and charged with menacing, possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. He was sentenced to three years in an intensive supervision release program and 100 hours of community service, according to court records.


In 2002, he was arrested by Lakewood police on aggravated robbery with intent to kill, but the charges were dropped when he pleaded guilty to menacing with a weapon, records show. He was sentenced to a two-year suspended prison sentence and three years of probation.

Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com