EVERETT, Mass. -- Police questioned a man Friday night in connection with the slaying of a 26-year-old exotic dancer outside her Everett apartment, the Boston Globe reported.

Middlesex County prosecutors said Sheila Santos was a dancer at Club Alex's in Stoughton, which bills itself as a men's entertainment establishment.

District Attorney Gerry Leone said Santos, a Brazilian woman, worked at the club Thursday night before leaving to go home to her Everett apartment at about 1:15 a.m.

"She came straight home. When she got home, we know that the attack occurred sometime between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m. We are asking the public's help for anything they know about what they might have heard or seen," Leone said.

Santos had grown increasingly worried in recent weeks that someone was following her home from her job at the Stoughton strip club, her sister, Ana Paola Santos, told the newspaper.

“Last week, she told me she didn’t want to work there anymore, because she was scared,’’ said Ana Santos. “She told me she couldn’t wait to change apartments.’’

Neighbors said Everett police told them Santos was found stabbed to death behind her apartment at 154 Main St. about 4:30 a.m. Friday. Leone said a building superintendent discovered her body.

“The investigation is narrowing as we speak, and we fully expect it to be a successful homicide investigation,’’ Leone said.

The victim was found in the back stairwell of the building, but detectives said very little about the case.

Leone said Santos had also worked as a dancer at a nightclub called King Arthur's Lounge in Chelsea before becoming employed at Club Alex's. He did not know how long she worked at Club Alex's.

He also would not confirm how she was killed, although shaken residents were talking about the frightening discovery.

"They told me a young woman was stabbed next door, she was killed," said neighbor Shondra Collins.

Leone said he didn't want to give away too many details about the case, but he said police would be on high alert in the neighborhood and around the club where Santos worked.

"At this time we don't want to characterize the nature of the killing, such that we provide a false sense of security with members of the community; however. (her workplace) and the area surrounding the area of the killing will be saturated with police officers for the time being," Leone said.

Investigators with state and local police spent the morning searching the area for clues, some of them using K-9 units. Leone said detectives will be reviewing surveillance cameras from the club and interviewing possible witnesses there.

Neighbors were startled to find out the building's back lot had become a crime scene, saying the area is usually quiet.