Slain Teen's Uncle Charged With Capital Murder

The uncle of a Greenville teen who was found dead in a trunk several days after she disappeared has been arrested in the 16-year-old's death.

Alicia Moore, 16 was last seen getting off her school bus near her home on Nov. 2. Her body was found four days later in a tool trunk along a highway in rural Van Zandt County.

The Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office took Michael Vincent Moore, 57, into custody late Monday night without incident from his home in Grand Prarie.

When contacted by NBC 5 early Tuesday morning, Alicia Moore's aunt, Jessica Byrd, would not say who was arrested.

"The family is in shock," she said. "We are not releasing any information at this time."

Don Jefferies, Greenville school district superintendent, said police and city officials told the district an arrest had been made in the case.

"Needless to say, we are relieved that they have arrested a suspect," he said. "We will continue to work with the GPD in any way we can until there is closure in this case."

Micheal Moore faces the charge of capital murder with a bond set at $10 million.

Neighbors shocked by arrest

Residents of Moore's quiet Grand Prairie neighborhood near Belt Line and Rock Island roads said they were shocked by the arrest.

Neighbors said Moore and his father had rented their home for about a year.

"He told me that he’d been in roller derby, and that he was looking to get a book published about his life, a part of it was about him and roller derby,” he said.

"He just seemed like a really great guy, just out there taking care of his yard and, you assume, taking care of his dad," Hall said. "And you really thought he was a pretty noble guy for doing that, because not everybody would do that."

Other neighbors described Michael Moore as sociable. They also said he found temporary work doing various home improvement projects for people in the area.

"I never would've suspected anything like that, just by the way he keeps his place up and everything. A nice quiet neighbor, you know?" said Malcom Boyd, who lives down the street.

Natalie Bentsen, another neighbor, said she was heartbroken for the Alicia Moore’s family.

"I can't even imagine the pain they must be feeling right now," she said. "My heart just goes out to them and, as a Christian, I would just say to cling to the Lord right now. And it’s just really sad and heartbreaking."

Teen disappeared near her home

Alicia Moore was last seen at about 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 2. Cameras on the school bus recorded her boarding at the high school and exiting at a bus stop near the corner of Bourland and Walnut streets in Greenville -- about a block from her home.

What happened to Moore after she exited the bus is a mystery. Moore's family notified police of her disappearance that evening.

Question were raised about how police handled her disappearance after authorities initially treated the case as a potential runway.

"I've been the one trying to get the word out -- fliers and stuff," her aunt, Jessica Byrd, said in a November interview. "They (police) didn't really fully get involved until Monday."

Greenville Police Chief Dan Busken said an Amber Alert was not issued because none of the circumstances related to Moore's disappearance met the criteria necessary to issue the alert -- including knowing for certain at the time that she was abducted.

"Early on, we had a very limited amount of information that we had to deal with," Busken said after Moore's body was found. "As we went throughout this weekend, we compiled more information."

Jefferies said the school learned Moore was missing on one day later. The district attempted to trace her school-issued iPad but determined it had been reset and its tracking was disabled.

At about noon on Nov. 6, a construction worker found Moore's body in a trunk that had been dumped along Farm-to-Market 47 near a bridge railing four miles north of Wills Point.

Investigators, which include the Greenville Police Department, Texas Rangers and the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office, have remained tight-lipped about the investigation. Investigators have not released the autopsy report in the case.

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