Authorities believe they discovered the body of a missing woman behind a secret entry to an attic in a Northern California home.

The woman was identified as Renia Lewis, 28, of Vallejo, the city’s police department said Wednesday.

Douglas Irwin Shaw, 41, was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with Lewis’ death, the department said in a news release.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether he has a lawyer to speak on his behalf. Authorities haven’t identified a possible motive. Records show he is being held without bail at the Solano County jail.

“This was a heartbreaking, senseless act of violence that has no place in our community,” Police Chief Jason Ta said in the release. “Our thoughts are with the decedent’s family during this incredibly difficult time.”

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Lewis and Shaw knew each other.

Lewis was last seen Friday evening. She was reported missing Sunday, according to police. An investigation led patrol officers to a home in Vallejo, 30 miles northeast of San Francisco, where it appeared Lewis may have been before she disappeared, police said.

During what officials described in a statement as a cursory search, patrol officers went to the home that day and looked in rooms, closets and elsewhere and found no sign of Lewis.

On Monday, the California Highway Patrol activated an “Ebony Alert,” a statewide notification system launched in California last year to help identify missing Black people who have disappeared under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.

Police said that a day later, detectives returned to the home with new investigative information and a search warrant to carry out a thorough examination.

They discovered a concealed entry to the attic and the remains of a woman believed to be Lewis, police said in a statement.

Shaw was taken into custody Tuesday at his workplace without incident and is alleged to have admitted to the killing, police said in a news release.

Tim Stelloh

Tim Stelloh is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.