( CNN ) -- A suspect has been arrested in the 1990 abduction and attempted murder of an 8-year-old Texas girl , a spokeswoman for the FBI 's Houston , Texas , office said . Jennifer Schuett speaks at a news conference , urging other victims of violent crime to use their voices . The victim , Jennifer Schuett , is now 27 . She recently shared her story with CNN in hopes of someday bringing her attacker to justice . Schuett fought tears as she spoke at a news conference in Dickinson , Texas . `` This event in my life was a tragic one , '' she said . `` But today , 19 years later , I stand here and want you all to know that I am OK . I am not a victim , but instead , victorious . '' Watch Schuett 's teary remarks » . She continued , `` I hope that my case will remain as a reminder to all victims of violent crime to never give up hope ... With determination and by using your voice to speak out , you are capable of anything . '' Dennis Earl Bradford , a 40-year-old welder , was arrested at 6:50 a.m. Tuesday in Little Rock , Arkansas , authorities said . He was on his way to work , and his wife was in the car with him . DNA and other forensic testing led to him , authorities said . His DNA profile was in the FBI database due to a 1996 arrest in Arkansas . Watch police announce the arrest » . Schuett was abducted from her bedroom , raped and left for dead August 10,1990 . She spoke with CNN two weeks ago . CNN normally does not identify victims of sexual assaults . But Schuett decided to go public with her story -- and her name -- to increase the chances of finding and prosecuting her attacker . `` It 's not about me anymore , '' she told CNN in September . `` It 's about all the little girls that go to sleep at night . I know there are so many girls out there who have been raped and hurt . You have to fight back . '' `` I remember everything ; I 've always wanted to remember everything so I can find the person that did this , '' Schuett said . `` If I had blocked this out of my memory , the investigation would n't have come this far . I 'm a fighter . '' Schuett says she was alone in her bed when a man crept in through a window . She remembers waking up in a stranger 's arms as he carried her across a dark parking lot . She said he told her he was an undercover cop and knew her family . He drove her through the streets of Dickinson , Texas , pulling into a mechanic 's shop next to her elementary school . `` Watch the moon . The moon will change colors , and that is when your mom will come to get you , '' she recalled him saying . `` Oh , it looks like she is not coming . '' Schuett said he drove her to an overgrown field next to the school and sexually assaulted her . She passed out . When she regained consciousness , she was lying naked on top of an ant hill with her throat slashed from ear to ear , and her voice box torn . She was found at 6 p.m. on a hot August day after lying in the field for nearly 12 hours . She was rushed to a hospital in critical condition . `` Three days after the attack , I started giving a description . The doctors told me I would never be able to talk again , but I proved them all wrong , '' Schuett said . She believes she got her voice back so she could tell her story . Houston FBI Special Agent Richard Rennison is one of the lead investigators in the case , along with Dickinson police Detective Tim Cromie . Read the affidavit . Both men were discussing the case when Rennison received a memo from the FBI 's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment ( CARD ) team seeking child abduction cases that had gone cold and could be retested for DNA evidence . Schuett 's was one of the cases selected . Rennison , who has 10 years of experience in child abduction cases , said he has never seen a case like Schuett 's . `` This is the only one that I can think of that the victim has suffered some traumatic injuries and survived , '' he said , `` The main reason the CARD team picked this case was because she was alive . In cases of child abduction , it is rare that the child is recovered alive . Frequently , you recover a body . And most times , you never find them . '' The investigators found evidence collected 19 years ago , which was retested . It included the underwear and pajamas Schuett was wearing , as well as a man 's underwear and T-shirt , which were found in the field where Schuett was left for dead . The clothes were tested in 1990 , but the sample was n't large enough for conclusive results . But now , modern techniques allow DNA to be isolated from a single human cell . They were still awaiting the results when CNN featured Schuett 's story in late September .
Welder Dennis Earl Bradford , 40 , arrested in Little Rock , Arkansas . Jennifer Schuett was grabbed from her bedroom and attacked at age 8 . Her throat was slashed , and she was left for dead . Advanced DNA tests provided a break in the case ; DNA was in clothing .