The neighbor of a missing Macon woman has now been charged with two burglaries after his arrest early Friday and may face additional charges, Bibb County's District Attorney said today.

A magistrate judge revoked $8,450 bond for Stephen McDaniel on the original charge after he was charged with a second burglary of apartments in his building. 

A police news release said that with a second charge, only a Superior Court judge can set bond. Police said the next Superior Court bond hearings are scheduled for Thursday.

 

Earlier today, police said McDaniel is a "person of interest" in the investigation into the disappearance of his neighbor Lauren Giddings.

District Attorney Greg Winter said McDaniel may have made a habit of breaking into neighbors' apartments and investigators are looking for other possible burglary victims.

McDaniel was arrested around 5 a.m. Friday and initially charged with burglary in a two-year-old case. As McDaniel appeared before a magistrate judge at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center, Winter said McDaniel is now charged with breaking into another apartment.

Police said the initial burglary charge was unrelated to this week's disappearance of Lauren Giddings. But police said in a news release that McDaniel, 25, is a now "person of interest" in the investigation.

"However, no one is being excluded at this early investigative stage. This remains an open, active investigation," the news release stated.

Police spokeswoman Jami Gaudet says investigators are going back through the apartment complex's 16 units to see if there were any past burglaries that went unreported.

She said McDaniel is accused of stealing "personal items" from neighbors' apartments, but would not describe the.
I asked if he was stealing TVs, stereos, jewelry, and she said, no, "We are perplexed because these are not items of big value."

She also would not describe the second person of interest in the case except to say it's "someone who knew the victim."

Police said the FBI is analyzing DNA acquired in the investigation. (Earlier they told us incorrectly that it was the GBI.)

The news release quotes Criminal Investigations Division Major Charles Stone as saying: "Currently, my detectives are gathering evidence and clues, are establishing processing theories, and are creating possible scenarios for the crime."

According to the news release issued after the initial charge, McDaniel entered the residence of a fellow resident of 1058 Georgia Ave. -- not the missing woman -- and removed property without their knowledge in late December 2008 or January 2009.

Police say McDaniel admitted to the burglary when speaking to police detectives. Authorities said the second burglary occurred around the same time.

On Thursday, McDaniel told 13WMAZ that he entered the apartment of his next-door neighbor, Lauren Giddings, with friends earlier that morning. He said they looked at emails on her computer that said she was afraid in her Georgia Avenue apartment because someone tried to break in recently.

McDaniel lives in apartment 4 at 1058 Georgia Ave.; Giddings lives in apartment 2.

Giddings, who is 27 years old, has been missing since Saturday night.

On Thursday, police found a woman's body next to their apartment building; they say that body has not yet been identified.

Stone and Police Chief Mike Burns said they met with the family of Lauren Giddings and "they have requested privacy and compassion at this difficult time."

The news release said the family and the police department want news organizations "to refrain from the sensationalism that can accompany such a difficult and complex investigation."