BANGOR, Maine - A 15-year-old girl found dead in woods north of Bangor knew the man charged with killing her, her best friend said, contrary to early reports that before her disappearance she'd headed outside her Glenburn home to see someone she recently met on Facebook.
Kyle Dube, 20, of Orono, had been friends with the victim, 15-year-old Nichole Cable, for a couple of months, and they'd made plans to see each other the weekend that she disappeared, said Tyler-Ann Harris, 16, who described herself as Nichole's best friend.
Dube was due to appear in court on Wednesday, a day after he was charged with murder after a body believed to be Cable's was found in Old Town.
Before the court appearance, police declined to reveal the circumstances of her death, describe her relationship with Dube or discuss the evidence they have against him. Nor was it clear whether a Facebook relationship had anything to do with her disappearance and homicide.
More details were expected to emerge once police submit an affidavit of probable cause, which could happen as early as Wednesday.
Dube was already in jail serving a sentence for fleeing police on a motorcycle at more than 100 mph when he was charged Tuesday, according to state police. Stephen McCausland, a state police spokesman, said investigators believe Dube is "solely responsible for her death."
Harris said Tuesday that Dube and Nichole planned to see each other the weekend she vanished, before he was required to report to jail. Harris, who attended Old Town High School with Nichole, said she was surprised that Dube was charged in her death because she thought the two got along.
She described Nichole as someone who enjoyed life.
"She was really happy even though she went through a lot of hard stuff in her life. She always knew how to see the bright side of things," Harris said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
Dube's parents live in a tidy brick and white-sided house in Orono. A young man who answered the door Tuesday said the family didn't want to talk and closed the door.
Dube's attorney, Stephen Smith, did not immediately return a call for comment.
Dube had worked for The Getchell Agency, an organization that cares for people with disabilities in Bangor, since June until he quit last week. The agency's CEO, Rena Getchell, said in an email to The Associated Press that his background check and employee reviews were satisfactory.
"He gave us no reason to believe that he might be capable of this crime," she said. "This is devastating news to us as we truly are a family."
The body believed to be Nichole's was found about 9:30 p.m. Monday by a warden who was searching the woods with a dog, officials said. The medical examiner took possession of the body to make a positive identification and issue a ruling on how she died.
Nichole's mother, Kristine Wiley, said after she disappeared that Nichole had said she was going out to meet someone she knew from Facebook. But Wiley said she didn't know the identity of the person.
Dozens of law enforcement officers, using aircraft and dogs, and hundreds of civilian volunteers spent days searching for the teen.
Penobscot County Sheriff Glenn Ross urged parents to keep an eye on their children's online activities.
"This reminds us that parents should have oversight of Internet activities of their children. They should monitor what's going on and then use normal precautions that we all know, as far as how much information we provide," Ross said.
Cable's stepfather, Jason Wiley, said Tuesday that he and Kristine Wiley were still processing Tuesday's news and would take reporters' questions on Wednesday.