Marysa Nichols went missing on Tuesday in Northern California. Authorities found the teen's body in a field near her school on Thursday.
Authorities arrested 39-year-old Quentin Ray Bealer for her murder. Detectives do not believe he had any connection to Marysa before her death.
Marysa Nichols lived in Red Bluff with her mother but had close ties to the Valley. She was born in Tulare and temporarily lived in Lindsay with her father. Word of her death has shocked the South Valley community.
In front of the family's Lindsay home sat a candlelight memorial with pictures of Marysa Nichols.
The victim's father Ricky Nichols said, "Last thing I said to her, I love you with all my heart and I'll love you forever. She's a great kid, beautiful child."
On Tuesday Ricky Nichols' 14-year-old daughter Marysa went missing in Red Bluff where she lived with her mother. Authorities there led a search party around the school where she was last seen.
Family in Lindsay tried helping with the search, passing out flyers throughout the town, not knowing if Marysa could have possibly run away. On Thursday the girl's body was found in a field near the school.
"To me it's like I'm in a nightmare, I'm going to wake up but I don't understand how anybody can do this," Nichols said.
Two days later Red Bluff police arrested 39-year-old Quentin Ray Bealer. He was charged with homicide in connection with the death of the 14-year-old.
Bealer is the man seen in Red Bluff High School surveillance video released Friday night.
The victim's cousin Barbara Odom said, "He took away something that we're never going to get back again. We're never going to see her ever again. He took her away from us."
Since news of her death the family has received an outpouring of support from the community. Many remember Marysa as an outgoing person.
"I want them to remember her by her smile and her good spirit. She had a really good spirit. She was just a good person," Odom said.
Now authorities have not released any information on the cause of death. An autopsy was performed on Marysa Nichols Saturday but her father said he doesn't want to know how his little girl was killed.
