Young California boy arrested in fatal stabbing of his sister

A twelve-year-old northern California boy has been arrested for the widely-publicized stabbing death of his 8-year-old sister, after telling authorities that a stranger had committed the crime. 

The boy's claim that a strange man had entered the family home in Valley Springs, California, and then fatally stabbed his sister provoked a massive manhunt, that was ultimately fruitless — until authorities announced late Saturday that they had taken the boy into custody. 

Read more from GlobalPost: Man hunt underway after California girl is murdered

The boy will be charged with homocide, according to the Sacramento Bee, although little additional information about this new turn in the case has been released to the public. 

He had claimed that a man with long gray hair had entered the home and murdered his sister, who has been identified as Leila Fowler, although authorities found no signs of a break-in, and an extended door-to-door sweep of the area yielded no answers either, according to the Associated Press. 

"Citizens of Calaveras County, you can sleep a little better tonight," said Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz during a late Saturday press statement. 

The boy's name won't be released to the public, according to the Los Angeles Times.