Mother’s Boyfriend Arrested in Slaying of 11-Year-Old Girl : Homicide: The suspect was missing part of his tongue, which led deputies to link him to the crime.

An 11-year-old Compton girl was found slain in her home Wednesday, and authorities, using a bizarre piece of evidence, arrested the boyfriend of the victim’s mother on suspicion of murder.

Katrina Brown, a sixth-grade honor student and drill-team member at Roosevelt Middle School, was found dead on the floor of her bedroom, Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigators said. The discovery was made by a 13-year-old boy who routinely walked Katrina to school, Deputy George Ducoulombier said.

James Heard, 38, was arrested across the street from a Lakewood hospital and booked for investigation of murder, Ducoulombier said. Heard, who lived with the victim and her mother, was implicated in the case based on “physical injuries on his body that may be related to some evidence found inside the residence,” the deputy said.

Hospital officials said Heard was missing a portion of his tongue, and neighbors said part of a tongue was found at the crime scene.

Shortly before his arrest, Heard was seen walking along Market Street in North Long Beach, bleeding from a severe mouth wound, sheriff’s officials said.

He was taken by paramedics to Doctors Hospital of Lakewood, where he declined treatment and left against the recommendation of an emergency room physician, hospital spokesman Stan Otake said.

“The patient had suffered a partial amputation of the tongue,” Otake said.

Neighbors of Katrina and her mother, Marilyn Brown, said part of a tongue was found in the victim’s bedroom, along with evidence of a struggle.

Citizens who saw Heard behaving strangely notified Lakewood sheriff’s deputies, who arrested him because he matched a description of the suspect in the killing.

The cause of Katrina’s death was not immediately known and an autopsy was scheduled, sheriff’s officials said.

A friend of Katrina said Heard, who recently became manager of the apartment where the victim lived, helped rid the four-building complex of garbage and noise problems.

The friend, Tiffany Burns, 13, who lives in a nearby building, said she had not heard Katrina complain of problems with Heard.

Tiffany described Katrina as a quiet girl, who often wore her hair in a pony tail and whose “big-boned,” 5-foot, 3-inch frame made her appear older than her 11 years. Except during drill team routines, Katrina was reserved, almost shy, Tiffany said.

“Katrina wouldn’t talk out or laugh real loud--even when she was with friends,” Tiffany said.

The times Katrina could play outside were few, Tiffany added.

“She always was inside her house,” Tiffany said, “She always stayed inside, and was so quiet.”