Tracing the steps of alleged killer of Louisiana 6-year-old girl

A suspect has been arrested in the killing of 6-year-old Bella Fontenelle
Correspondent Alex Caprariello visited the Louisiana location where it happened
"Everyone, I would say, is really rallying around this family," Caprariello said

Updated: Jun 2, 2023 / 06:19 PM CDT

Louisiana State Trooper Richard J. Reggio watches Contraflow traffic began in the New Orleans area seen here in Metairie in Jefferson Parish on Interstate I-10 West at the exit for Power Blvd. Contraflow opened up both sides of the highway to go in one direction west to Baton Rouge Sunday August 31, 2008 for evacuations for Hurricane Gustav. More than a million people fled Louisiana as killer Hurricane Gustav on Sunday roared toward New Orleans, a fragile US coastal city still deeply scarred by the devastating 2005 Katrina storm. Highways out of New Orleans have been crammed since before dawn as people scurried to escape a monster storm that could slam the Louisiana coast as early as midday Monday. AFP PHOTO/Matthew HINTON (Photo credit should read Matthew HINTON/AFP via Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — The tragic killing of 6-year-old Bella Fontenelle is still being investigated, with police having apprehended a suspect but still searching for a motive.

NewsNation national correspondent Alex Caprariello went to Louisiana and retraced the steps the suspect took the night of the killing.

“This is a typical middle-class American neighborhood,” Caprariello said during an appearance on “NewsNation Now.” “Kids play in the front yards. They run to the nearby Mississippi River. The only difference is, this neighborhood has been rocked by a crime that they never thought would happen in their backyard.”

Caprariello pointed to an angel placed in a nearby tree.

“When I asked Bella’s older sister about it, she said they hung that up for her little sister who passed away,” he said.

Caprariello described an atmosphere of support for Fontenelle’s family.

“Everyone, I would say, is really rallying around this family. It’s actually really sweet to think about, because this is such a travesty that’s happened to both of these families,” he said. “But really, I’m seeing a sense of protectiveness and openness, and trying to make sure that they are healing in the right way, and given enough space and time to do so.”