David "D.J." Creato Jr., 22, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Watch video
HADDON TWP. -- The father of 3-year-old Brendan Creato, who was found dead near the Cooper River in October, was arrested Monday and charged with his son's killing, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office announced.
David "D.J." Creato Jr., 22, was indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
He was arrested approximately 2:15 p.m. Monday in Washington Township and is being held at the Camden County Jail, according to the prosecutor's office.
Brendan Creato was reported missing by his father around 6 a.m on the morning of Oct. 13. Search dogs found Brendan's body approximately three hours later in a wooded area a half-mile from his home.
Autopsy results were inconclusive and a cause of death could not be determined, prosecutors said previously. Toxicology results were also negative, Richard J. Fuschino Jr., the attorney for father D.J. Creato previously said.
Attempts to reach Fuschino for comment Monday afternoon were unsuccessful. A message left with Philadelphia attorney William Brennan, who is representing D.J.'s parents and sister, was not returned.
The prosecutor's office said there were no signs of forced entry at the apartment, which D.J. Creato has since vacated, and that Brendan was not sexually abused.
In the 911 call, Creato tells police he had just woken up to find that his son was missing. A woman's voice, later identified to be Creato's mother Lisa, can be heard in the background calling the boy's name.
"The top door was locked and the bottom door was locked. He must have unlocked both doors. I don't know what happened," Creato says during the 911 call.
Fuschino later said that Brendan had been at his grandparents' house in Haddon Township earlier that night before he was dropped off at Creato's apartment around 8:30 p.m. The two read a few books and had a snack before Brendan fell asleep on the couch before 10 p.m., Fuschino said in interviews with the Philadelphia Inquirer and PhillyVoice.com.
The 911 call prompted a townwide search until the boy's body was found three hours after he was reported missing.
Brendan's mother, Samantha Denoto, hasn't spoken publicly since the night a vigil was held outside Creato's apartment.
"This is a very difficult time for our family," the Denoto family told NJ Advance Media via email on Monday afternoon, adding that they request privacy and would not be making statements regarding Monday's announcement.
D.J. Creato's sister, Sarah Jessica, testified in front of the grand jury, according to previous reports.
"This appears to be a terrible tragic accidental death," Philadelphia-based attorney William Brennan, said in November, declining to say whether any other subpoenas had been delivered to his clients.
A video created by Sarah Creato as part of a school project reportedly portrayed Brendan as a toddler who goes missing and is later found dead.
Posted by DJ Creato on Friday, July 11, 2014
Brennan said that his client read a novel titled "Catalyst" in high school, which involves the death of a 3-year-old, and used it as the source material for the school project.
Police said they were aware of the video, as well as comments made online by D.J. Creato's girlfriend, Julia Spensky, 17, of New York.
In a blog post that has since been removed, Spensky wrote that she was "possibly a suspect in a homicide investigation."
Spensky was at Creato's apartment the weekend before but was not there that night, Fuschino said.
Creato is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon at the Camden County Hall of Justice. In a statement, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office declined to release any information regarding the arrest.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.