Body in Arizona may be mother of slain Las Vegas girl

By Jackie Valley

Published Monday, Nov. 15, 2010 | 3:16 p.m.

Updated Monday, Nov. 15, 2010 | 4:20 p.m.

Arizona authorities say they have discovered the body of a woman believed to be the missing mother of a Las Vegas girl found dead in Louisiana.

Yavapai County sheriff's officials say the possible remains of 31-year-old Suellen Roberts were found Monday in a remote area off Interstate 40 in northwestern Arizona.

A medical examiner in Arizona is performing an autopsy to positively identify the woman and determine a cause of death, officials said.

Thomas Steven Sanders, 53, was arrested in Gulfport, Miss., on Sunday in the kidnapping of Roberts' daughter, 12-year-old Lexis Roberts. The girl's skeleton was found by hunters last month in Louisiana.

Authorities say the trio had been spotted in northern Arizona over Labor Day weekend, which included a stay in a Flagstaff motel and a trip to the Grand Canyon.

Sanders had been declared legally dead 16 years ago, but investigators now know he lived in Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and Nevada during that time. He worked as a laborer, a welder and a scrap metal collector.

Arizona detectives are working with the FBI to determine if Sanders is linked to the death of Suellen Roberts, assuming confirmation of her identity, officials said.

Sanders had a hearing before a federal magistrate judge Monday morning in Mississippi for the federal kidnapping warrant issued by Louisiana authorities. He's en route back to Louisiana, where he likely will face more charges in addition to kidnapping, said Robert E. King, supervisory senior resident agent with the FBI in Alexandria, La.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.