BALTIMORE (AP) — The half-brother of a North Carolina teen who was missing for months before her body was found in a Maryland river is training to become a Baltimore police officer.

Bryan Barnes says he was inspired by detectives who worked on the case.

Prosecutors announced last week that Michael Johnson has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes, who went missing in December 2010. Bail was denied for Johnson on Friday.

Bryan Barnes told The Baltimore Sun that the experience of losing his half-sister puts him in a better position to deal with families who have also lost loved ones. The 24-year-old has passed background checks and is scheduled to start as a cadet in the police academy this week.

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