TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — A missing Tallahassee girl’s father has been arrested and charged for her murder nearly two years after the 12-year-old vanished.

The Tallahassee Police Department said an April 5 prescribed burn helped them find Lori Paige’s remains in a previously bush-covered area of Thomas County, Georgia.

The discovery was a significant break in the 22-month investigation, and resulted in the arrest of her father, 36-year-old Andrew Wiley, on charges of second-degree murder.

Investigators had searched the remote location in early 2024 based on digital evidence, but, at the time, said there were no results.

The remains found in Georgia were processed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and positively identified as Paige, police said.

Wiley was the one who filed the missing person’s report after his daughter vanished on June 3, 2023. Detectives said Wiley told them Paige had left home with her backpack sometime overnight while he was at work.

In the months after, authorities pursued hundreds of leads, conducted interviews across multiple states, examined digital evidence and searched extensively across North Florida and South Georgia.

Investigators said Wiley’s story eventually began to show inconsistencies as the case continued to develop. A February 2024 analysis of his phone revealed what police called “questionable” internet searches.

According to detectives, he had looked up information about remote areas with bodies of water in Alabama and Georgia, among other things.

Detectives began to shift their focus more heavily toward Wiley as more information about his relationship with his daughter also began to surface. Officials said Paige’s family had connections to Georgia and Tennessee.

“This case has deeply impacted our community for nearly two years,” Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said in a news release Friday. “Lori deserved a safe home and a full life. While today’s arrest will never bring her back, it does bring us one step closer to justice.”

As the investigation continues, police ask anyone with additional information to contact TPD at 850-891-4200. Callers can remain anonymous by contacting Crime Solvers at 850-574-TIPS.