Thanksgiving Massacre Suspect Arrested with Help of America's Most Wanted

The man suspected of murdering his family on Thanksgiving has been taken into custody following the airing of an America's Most Wantedpreview.

Paul Pfaff was watching a football game on Fox when a photo of murder suspect Paul Merhige flashed on the screen during a preview for America's Most Wanted. He quickly realized the man on the television was a guest in his Florida motel, according to ABC News.

There was no doubt because we have a big-screen TV in the house," said Melinda Pfaff, who co-owns the Edgewater Lodge in Long Key, Fla., with her husband. "It just shocked [my husband] to the core."
After watching the preview, Melinda went to America's Most Wanted'swebsite, verified the photo they had seen and called in the tip to the police.

Merhige, 35, is accused of murdering his twin sisters, one of whom was pregnant, an elderly aunt and a 6-year-old cousin on Thanksgiving day in Jupiter, Fla. He checked into the Edgewater Lodge, which is three hours away from the crime scene, on Dec. 2, the Pfaffs said.

U.S. Marshals and officers from several area police departments arrived a few hours after receiving the Pfaffs' tip and arrested Merhige. He is being held at Palm Beach County jail on four counts of murder and was denied bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 1.

America's Most Wanted ishosted by John Walsh, who developed the show after his 6-year-old son was abducted and murdered. The program has helped police across the country arrest 1,099 suspects during its 20 years, according to a spokesperson for the show.