"He is not a person of interest in Sierra’s disappearance and has been fully cooperative since the beginning of the investigation," police said in a statement, according to MSNBC.
Friends, family and Morgan Hill community members gathered for a vigil at Ann Sobrato High School to grieve and pray for Sierra Lamar, who vanished shortly after leaving her home around 6 a.m. last Friday.
The girl's mother, Marlene Lamar, first learned that her daughter was missing when she received a message from the school's automated attendance system.
Update 5-23-2012 murder suspect in custody
As part of the investigation, authorities interviewed registered sex offenders in the area, among them the girl's father, Steve Wayne LaMar. Police say that both parents have been accommodating to authorities and are not considered suspects at this time.