Police in Louisiana, Mo., have said that a person of interest in the abduction of a 4-year-old Missouri girl has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

KMOX-TV, St. Louis, has reported that Paul S. Smith, 38, shot and critically injured himself as officers approached a home in Lincoln County Wednesday night.

Smith was a registered sex offender who pleaded guilty in 1995 to sodomizing a 10-year-old child, Police further said.

KTVI-TV, St. Louis, also reported that authorities wanted to question him because he matched the description of the suspect seen dropping off 4-year-old Alisa Maier at a car wash Tuesday night.

It has also been reported that Police said when they arrived at the house it appeared Smith was in the process of spray-painting his car, which matched the description of the vehicle witnesses said Alisa exited.

The report also noted that Alisa was taken from the front yard of her home while her mother was inside making dinner Monday night. (With Inputs from Agencies)