The boyfriend of a woman who went missing from her home in downtown D.C. last week has been charged in her death, police said Friday.
Darnell Sterling, 55, of Southeast D.C., is charged with killing Olga Ooro. Her body had not been found as of Friday afternoon.
Police learned the 34-year-old mother had disappeared after her 8-year-old son was found wandering the halls of their apartment building alone.
Sterling was arrested late Thursday and charged with second-degree murder. The alleged crime was "domestic," police said Friday. Chief of Police Peter Newsham said the previous day that Ooro was last seen with her boyfriend, who had a history of abusing her. Sterling had multiple previous arrests for domestic assaults against Ooro, according to court documents.
It was not immediately clear if Sterling had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Ooro was seen the evening of July 16 walking away from her home in the 300 block of Massachusetts Avenue NW. She had just returned home from dinner with her son and boyfriend.
Ooro's son was found alone two days later. The boy’s father has custody of the child and he is safe, Newsham said.
Police saw a man they believe to be Sterling on surveillance video in Ooro’s apartment building struggling to pull a cart that had a large object consistent with the size of a person wrapped and covered with a blanket, according to court documents. Sterling denied being that man.
Sterling told investigators he was in Ocean City at the time Ooro’s missing apartment building key fob was used, but police said tag readers showed his car in D.C., according to court documents.
The documents also show that a cadaver dog alerted inside Ooro’s apartment and inside Sterling’s car.
Ooro’s family told police her behavior was very unusual.
Her mother said she wasn't aware her daughter was being abused. She wants her body to be found.
“She would never leave her son like that,” Newsham said they told detectives.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police. A reward of as much as $25,000 is offered.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
