Michael Ray McLellan is accused in the abduction and murder of Hania Aguilar, a North Carolina girl.
FBI/Mugshot
Hania Aguilar and Michael Ray McLellan
Michael Ray McLellan is accused in the abduction and murder of North Carolina teenager Hania Aguilar, a 13-year-old girl from North Carolina who was grabbed in broad daylight from her own driveway.
There was an Amber Alert and massive search for the teen, and police released surveillance video that they said showed a man walking near her home. Michael Ray McLellan, 34, has been in the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office since November 13,2018. On December 8,2018, authorities revealed that they had arrested him in connection with Aguilar’s murder.
On Tuesday, November 27,2018, the FBI’s Charlotte office announced on Twitter that a body was found in an area being searched by agents looking for Hania. The FBI asked people to pray for Hania and her family, and the body was later identified as that of Hania.
FBI & Lumberton PD found a body in an area off Wire Grass Road in Robeson Co 4:45pm. The body has not been positively identified, but agents were following leads related to the search for 13-year-old Hania Aguilar. Please continue to pray for Hania, her family, & each other.
— FBI Charlotte (@FBICharlotte) November 27,2018
According to the FBI, her full name is Hania Noelia Aguilar. The 8th grader disappeared on November 5,2018 from Lumberton, North Carolina. Authorities had launched an aggressive effort to find her that was predicated on community engagement, in part.
Here’s what you need to know:
Michael McLellan.
Michael McLellan has been in custody since November 13,2018, in an unrelated case, jail records show. He is in the custody of the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office. According to WPDE-TV, McLellan was charged with second-degree kidnapping and attempted robbery.
McLellan is accused of attacking a woman outside of her home on Pittman Street in the Fairmont neighborhood of Robeson County, Fairmont Police Chief Jon Edwards told the news station. The incident occurred on October 15. Police said McLellan approached a woman wearing dark clothing with a msak on his face and pointed a gun at the victim. He then tried to take her car and asked her for money, according to police. He then left the scene without hurting the woman, police said. McLellan turned himself in to police on November 13 after an investigation. He appeared in court for a bond hearing that same day.
Michael McLellan.
According to jail records, he is being held on $2 million bail.
McLellan’s Facebook page shows he lives in Lumberton, North Carolina, and is originally from Fairmont. He attended Fairmont High School. His page says he has worked as a landscape gardener.
We are working non-stop to #FindHania. Please do not post, share rumors or speculate about the case. If the information does not come from the FBI or the Lumberton PD, it is NOT confirmed, NOT official, & may not be accurate, in fact it may be wrong or just be completely made up. pic.twitter.com/ApAvgma3sx
— FBI Charlotte (@FBICharlotte) November 21,2018
The Lumberton Police Department and the FBI were both investigating the kidnapping of Hania Noelia Aguilar. “Hania is a Hispanic female, five feet tall, weighing approximately 126 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt with flowers and blue jeans. Hania’s family is working with law enforcement and fully cooperating with investigators to locate the teen,” the FBI reports.
Here is the sequence of events described by the FBI:
According to the FBI, Hania “was outside her home at the Rosewood Mobile Home Park located at 3525 Elizabethtown Road, Lumberton, North Carolina, on November 5,2018. A witness saw a male subject dressed in all black and wearing a yellow bandana force Hania into a green, 2003 Ford Expedition with South Carolina license plate NWS-984. On November 8, the stolen SUV used in the kidnapping of Hania Aguilar was found near Quincey Road in Lumberton, North Carolina.”
The FBI also released further details, saying, “Hania was outside her home at the Rosewood Mobile Home Park located at 3525 Elizabethtown Road, Lumberton, North Carolina, on November 5,2018 just before 7:00 a.m. She had gone outside just before her family left to drive to school.
