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Police have discovered the body of Brooke Bennett about a mile from her uncle’s property just a day after he was named a person of interest. Documents also came out yesterday implicating him in planning on using Bennett as part of a child sex ring.

The girl’s uncle, Michael Jacques, who has been in custody since Sunday on sexual assault charges involving another underage girl, is to be charged in federal court with kidnapping, police Sgt. Tara Thomas said.

Bennett last was seen alive with Jacques at a convenience store last Wednesday.

“The painful discovery of Brooke’s body today is tragic and heartbreaking,” Baker said.

He called the death “clearly suspicious” but declined to give details before a planned briefing Thursday morning.

Police have turned their attention to the uncle of missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, a registered sex offender who is being charged with sexually assaulting another girl.

The alleged victim of the sex assaults, a relative of [Michael] Jacques, told police Jacques assaulted her during a five-year period, beginning when she was 9 years old and ending a few weeks ago, Orange County State’s Attorney Will Porter said.

Meanwhile, Jacques, pronounced “Jakes,” was being described as “a person of interest” in last Wednesday’s disappearance of Bennett. Col. James Baker, commander of the Vermont State Police, said investigators narrowed their probe and began focusing on Jacques based on information developed late Saturday and early Sunday through computer forensics.