A Youngstown cold case heats up with an arrest today, in a murder that caught the attention of the entire community.  Just before six o'clock police arrested 44-year-old David Sharp in connection with the disappearance of 16-year-old James Higham more than five years ago.  Sharp was indicted by a grand jury, charged with murder, child endangerment, child abuse, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse, all felonies.

"REMOVING THIS INDIVIDUAL FROM THE STREETS, WE FEEL IT'S GOING TO ADD TO CONTINUING REDUCING CRIME WITHIN THE CITY OF YOUNGSTOWN. AND I THINK JUSTICE HAS BEEN SERVED PRETTY GOOD FOR THIS MISSING CHILD."

Higham's biological father left him in the custody of his aunt, Jennifer Snyder in 2001.  Police say Snyder's alleged boyfriend at the time, David Sharp, drowned the boy in a bathtub, then the couple dismembered his body, disposing it in various places on the south side of town.

"EVIL, CRUEL, PATHETIC, EVERYTHING THAT WAS DONE TO THIS YOUNG CHILD ARE DESCRIBED PROBABLY IN THOSE WORDS."

Snyder is already in prison on an unrelated charge.  Officials say she was the one who came forward with new information about Sharp.  And she'll also face everything except the murder charge when the case goes to court.

"IT WAS 2002, YES, I WOULD SAY IMMEDIATELY WE GOT A GREAT CASE. AND I THINK WE GOT A GOOD CASE HERE AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE A CASE THAT WE CAN TRY AND WIN."

Captain Centorame says officers spent years working on this case, even though it led them to many dead ends.

"RATHER THAN GETTING DOWN ON IT, THEY JUST TOOK A LOOK AT THE VICTIM'S PICTURE WHICH WE ALWAYS HAD AVAILABLE TO US, JAMES HIGHAM JUNIOR'S PICTURE. AND NOTHING ELSE NEEDED TO BE SAID, THEY JUST GOT BACK TO WORK."

Right now, Sharp is being held in the Mahoning County Jail, awaiting arraignment tomorrow morning.