Garry S. Zigich Jr., 24, strangled his 15-year-old cousin, Brittany Cena, Tuesday morning, then hid her body in the basement of the Cenas' house on Colonial Drive before checking himself into a hospital, claiming suicidal tendencies, authorities said.

Autopsy results showed that Brittany's cause of death was "manual strangulation." Zigich has been charged with one count of murder.

Zigich had been living at the home for about a month, Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said at a news conference Wednesday. The girl's parents and their two other daughters, Carol and a 3-year-old sister, also lived at the house.

Brittany's parents had presumed Brittany attended Toms River High School North on Tuesday. But when she did not come home, Brittany's mother, Denise Cena, became worried, authorities said, and went to police headquarters on Oak Street about 4:30 p.m. to request a missing persons report. A police officer went to the home to take the information, Police Chief Michael G. Mastronardy said.

The officer returned to headquarters just as a 911 call was received at 5:48 p.m. from the Cena address. Brittany's body had been found by her paternal grandparents hidden in the basement under pillows and blankets, Mastronardy said.

Family members told investigators that Zigich was a possible suspect, and they learned that he had gone to Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank about 9 a.m. Tuesday, where he reportedly said he wanted to die. The hospital admitted Zigich, Ford said.

About 9:30 Tuesday night, Zigich was taken into custody before police had a search warrant to enter the home. At the hospital, Zigich was informed of his rights as police charged him with murder, Ford said.

The news came as a shock to several Zigich family members in Monmouth County.

"I don't know anyone who can explain this," said Helen Zigich, the suspect's maternal grandmother in Middletown. "He and Brittany were friends from the time they were little."

There was no history of police being called to the house, Mastronardy said.

Police, the Toms River Police EMS and MONOC paramedics all responded to the 911 call. The paramedics pronounced Brittany dead, and the house was declared a crime scene. Police moved family members to headquarters for interviews. Mastronardy said police interviewed 16 relatives and friends who had come to the house after they learned the news.

Fourteen relatives and close friends were present Wednesday afternoon when the stoic-looking Zigich was brought before Superior Court Judge James Den Uyl for his initial court appearance. He did not make eye contact with any of them during the brief hearing.

He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

At the outset of the investigation, "a number of close friends of Brittany's stepped forward and suggested" people whom the authorities should interview, Ford said.

Ford said during the press conference that forensics evidence collected at the scene and during the autopsy will be analyzed to determine if Brittany had been the victim of a sexual assault.

Mastronardy said that on Tuesday night, while the police were obtaining the search warrant and family members were being interviewed at headquarters, the girl's body remained in the ranch-style home, with police guarding the entrance.

A search warrant was obtained about 10 p.m. and the Ocean County Sheriff's Department Criminal Investigation Unit entered to gather evidence. Detectives followed. Animal Control was called at 10:30 p.m. to remove unspecified pets from the home, Mastronardy said.

Three Toms River detectives, Lt. Michael Dorick, Randy Petrick and Charles Dallago, investigated and interviewed family members, along with members of the Prosecutor's Office's Major Crimes Unit, Mastronardy said.

Brittany's body was not removed from the house until about 5 a.m.

Emergency Management set up a command center in the neighborhood and police provided extra patrols to guide traffic.

Chief Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor William J. Heisler represented the state at the initial appearance and Deputy Assistant Public Defender Eugenia Lynch represented Zigich. Lynch told Judge Den Uyl that Zigich qualifies for a public defender, according to information he supplied.