DETROIT -- Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Mary Chrzanowski on Thursday sentenced 59-year-old Arthur Nelson Ream to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Eastpointe police Detective Derek McLaughlin said Ream told him Cindy Zarzycki was with his son the day she died, and claimed she fell from an open elevator in his carpet warehouse in Warren.

The 59-year-old Ream was convicted of first-degree murder June 18 in Cindy's death.

But Jennifer Leibow, a professional interviewer who worked with McLaughlin, tells The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens there is no evidence to show that.

Ream led police to Cindy's burial site in Macomb County's Macomb Township last month, about 15 miles northeast of Eastpointe, where Cindy was last seen alive on April 20, 1986.

The remains were found in a shallow grave with what the 13-year-old girl had with her at the time, including her favorite denim purse and some mixed tapes.

Eastpointe Police Chief Michael Lauretti said the family knew it was their loved one.

"They did identify the purse and the contents,” said Lauretti. “They said the cassettes that were in the purse, they believe were 100 percent hers.”

Her family said their prayers have been answered and she’s finally come home.

“Twenty-two years is a long time,” said her tearful brother, Edward Zarzycki.

He told Local 4 his childhood ended the day his sister disappeared and he still has things he wanted to tell her.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there,” Edward Zarzycki said. “I love her and I know she’ll be looking down on us and will be with us forever.”

“I just want to tell everybody that has been praying for us, thank you,” said Cindy’s sister, Connie Johnson. “God has answered our prayers--22 years we've been praying and praying. This may not have been the answer we wanted but God was watching out."

Eastpointe police Inspector John Calabrese told Local 4 that Ream told police where he buried Zarzycki's body last month.

"We offered him (Ream) nothing and promised us nothing. He basically just wanted to clear his conscience," said Calabrese.

Police said Ream drew them a map of the 22-acre area and said they will find a four-foot grave near the Clinton River. Police have suspected the area for a while because Ream used to keep bees on the property.

Judge Chrzanowski signed the writ to let him out.

Then a handcuffed Ream was taken out of a northern Macomb County Correctional Facility Wednesday to lead search crews to the body.

“He (Ream) didn’t walk around as though he had murdered someone and buried someone in this spot,” said Macomb County Prosecutor, Eric Smith. “He walked around as though we were looking for a lost piece of jewelry.”

Ream spent about an hour with authorities before he was returned to the correctional facility.

Zarzycki's aunt, Karen Hoeft, was at the search scene. She said their family needs to have closure and plans on having a funeral when the body is found.

A sobbing Hoeft said, "My mother always looked for her for years, and she died nine years ago."

Ream is accused of meeting with Zarzycki on the day she disappeared at a Dairy Queen on Nine Mile Road on the pretense of taking her to his son's surprise birthday party.

He currently is serving a 15-year prison sentence on an unrelated molestation charge involving a 14-year-old girl.

Cold Case Search

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