A Multnomah County judge this week issued an arrest warrant for a 39-year-old registered sex offender now accused of murder in a July 10 homicide in Southeast Portland.

Mark D. Beebout is accused of intentionally causing the death of Nikayla Jaedon Powell, 32, whose body was found this month in her second-floor apartment on Southeast Belmont Street.

According to the Multnomah County District Attorney's office, Beebout was arrested in the Seattle area Thursday afternoon and is in custody on the murder warrant in King County.

Police were called to the Belmont Street apartment after Powell's neighbors complained about the smell from her unit. Maintenance workers found her cats, and cleaned up their feces and urine. But it wasn't until the next day that they discovered Powell's body in her bed.

Her family told authorities that she hadn't responded to their calls or e-mails for more than a week. Her last post on her Facebook page was June 21.

Beebout also is accused of first-degree theft, tampering with physical evidence, felony fraudulent use of a credit card and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Soon after Powell's body was found, investigators working with her relatives learned that Powell's red Subaru and dog were gone.

Beebout is accused of killing Powell, and then stealing her car and dog, as well as her Chase debit card and Oregon Trail card.

He's accused of purchasing more than $1,000 worth of goods and services on Powell's debit card since her death, according to a criminal information filed in court.

Relatives said they learned that Beebout, considered homeless and transient, had been staying at Powell's apartment for at least a week.

Gary Powell, her former father-in-law, said he learned of Powell's death from his son, who had been married to Nikayala for about five years. They hadn't been together for a few years, but remained friends, Gary Powell said.

She and his son had met in Eugene when Nikayala, then 17, were in a Self-Realization Fellowship program, which encourages spiritual living through yoga.

"She was very quiet. I would say she had a spiritual way of life and was very attracted to meditation," Gary Powell said.

Beebout was a registered sex offender out of California, stemming from a sex abuse conviction when he was 22 involving a 14-year-old victim, according to court records.

He faced a restraining order in Clatsop County in October 2011, and was convicted in March of this year of failing to register as a sex offender in Oregon. He since had registered, and was ordered to find a job, get evaluated for substance abuse, not possess weapons and obey all laws.

Though a criminal information sheet filed in Multnomah County court and a warrant for his arrest accuses Beebout of killing Nikayla Powell and stealing her property, Portland police Sgt. Pete Simpson said Thursday that investigators cannot confirm the body recovered in her unit is that of Powell.

Her car, a red 1999 Subaru Legacy with Oregon license plate 859BJQ remains missing.

When Beebout was arrested Thursday on North 45th and Burke Avenue in Seattle, he had Powell's dog - half German Shepherd and half Wolf - with him, police said.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Kristina Coffey at 503-823-0696 or kristina.coffey@portlandoregon.gov.

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Oregonian news researcher Lynne Palombo contributed to this story.