A man is accused of murdering his estranged wife before trying to cover up her disappearance by claiming she was dying from coronavirus.
Concerned friends of Gretchen Anthony, 51, from Jupiter in Florida, contacted the police after they were sent suspicious texts from her phone saying she was in bed with an "acute" case of Covid-19.
However detectives later arrested her estranged husband 48-year-old David Anthony when they discovered Gretchen had not been treated locally — or made any insurance claims for treatment, WPEC reported citing police reports.
Officers also claimed Anthony, who had separated from Gretchen in February, used similar vocabulary to the coronavirus messages that were sent from her phone.
According to CBS12, a neighbour told police she had heard a “blood-curdling scream” and then a woman pleading “No! No it hurts."
Jupiter Police posted a statement on Facebook that reads: “As the investigation progressed and further evidence collected, it is believed David E. Anthony is responsible for her disappearance and related homicide."
Anthony was arrested in New Mexico, on March 31 — 10 days after police claim he killed his wife.
He has been charged with second-degree murder and kidnapping and is being held awaiting extradition to Palm Beach County.
Gretchen's body has not been found.
