LEWISTON -When investigators found the body of an 18-year-old woman in a burned Portland apartment Monday night, one of the first things they did was to notify police in Lewiston.

That’s because the suspect in the killing – 27-year-old Chad Gurney – used to live on Martin Drive in this city. Police investigating the grisly slaying suspected Gurney might return to his childhood home where relatives still live.

Instead, he was found in Old Orchard Beach on Tuesday morning where he was arrested in connection with the death of Zoe Sarnacki.

The people who know Gurney have said there were signs that he might have suffered emotional problems. However, there is nothing in Gurney’s local criminal history to indicate violent tendencies.

Lewiston police said they were aware that Gurney once lived here but they did not recall any problems with him. No criminal offenses connected to him show up in local police records.

In Wales, where Gurney was a standout lacrosse player and mediocre wrestler, school officials are not talking about the former athlete. One person familiar with Gurney’s early athletic life described him as undisciplined and suffering from a bad attitude.

After graduating from Oak Hill High School, Gurney worked for a time at Bath Iron Works. Later, he played goalie for the lacrosse team at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.

The case against Gurney is being investigated by Portland police. There did not appear to be anybody at his childhood home in Lewiston on Thursday night.

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