Oxford Police officer Matt Kinne is being held at the Panola County Jail in connection with the murder of Dominique Clayton.

At approximately 9:45 p.m. on Monday the OPD made an arrest in the homicide of Clayton, who was found dead on Sunday afternoon in her Brittany Woods home.

During a press conference at the OPD station on Tuesday, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation confirmed Kinne’s arrest in the murder of Clayton. Captain Johnny Poulos of the MBI and OPD interim police chief Jeff McCutchen held a joint press conference issuing statements regarding the case. Neither took questions and provided very little information, citing an ongoing and active investigation.

“Through the course of the investigation, Oxford Police Department investigators and MBI Special Agents acquired information which ultimately led to the arrest of Mathew Paul Kinne,” Poulous read from a prepared statement.

Kinne has been with the Oxford Police Department for four years, according to McCutchen, and a member of Oxford’s Mounted Patrol. Kinne was named the Mounted Patrol Officer of the Year on Jan 18 during the OPD’s annual awards banquet. During the early stages of the investigation OPD learned Clayton and Kinne were possibly involved with each other. Upon that discovery, McCutchen contacted the MBI in order to ‘protect the investigation and to provide the community’ assurances of an unbiased investigation.

“We will not hide behind our badge,” McCutchen read from a prepared statement. “This badge stands for justice and today is about justice for Dominique. Dominique was a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a member of our community.”

After Poulous and and McCutchen gave statements a couple members of Clayton’s family spoke at the podium. Reggie Clayton, Dominique’s cousin, thanked the MBI and the City of Oxford in working with the family during the investigation.

“She was a great person,” Reggie Clayton told the EAGLE. “She was the biggest cop supporter in the community. You can go look at her Facebook page. She’s always talking about ‘Backing the Blue.’ Always talking about if something happens, ‘hey, lets let things play out and there’s always two sides to a story.’ For them to sit there and do here like that, that’s wrong.”

Clayton, 32, was a mother of four. Funeral arrangements have not been announced but are being handled by Serenity Martin Funeral Home of Oxford.

As of publication official charges have not been announced for Kinne.