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An Arizona man has been arrested after his wife, who police suspect was murdered, went missing last week.
Daniel Paduchowski, 58, was taken into custody on Monday after he told authorities that his wife, Kelly Paduchowski, 45, had vanished.
Court records obtained by Arizona’s Family TV station show that neighbors told investigators they heard a woman screaming around 8.30am on Sunday.
One neighbor claims she saw the woman lying on the ground of her Flagstaff backyard on her stomach. She was motionless, the person told authorities. Police said the man was on top of his wife with his hands on her shoulder area.
Five minutes later, the neighbor’s husband allegedly saw the woman lying on her side but the man was gone. Then, the woman, too, vanished from the backyard. The neighbor alleged they later saw the husband spraying the spot in the backyard where his wife had been.
According to police, Daniel Paduchowski said he last saw his wife going for a run at about 1.30pm, adding that she was going to Lake Mary for a swim. The pair had ridden bikes together at Schultz Creek Trail earlier in the day. He reported his wife missing at around 7.30pm.
Officials ultimately found the woman’s car at Campbell Mesa Trailhead, where her husband had been.
As the police interviewed Daniel, they said they spotted fresh blood outside the garage door of the couple’s home, court records showed. Officials also found blood on the patio that included a bloody footprint, the outlet reported.
Some of the evidence collected from the residence included a gray shirt, pants, and a hat that looked as if it belonged to the man’s wife. The items were located inside a trash can.
At one point, authorities confronted Daniel about his wife’s disappearance and said that the situation appeared suspicious as if he had lied to police. The man then asked for a lawyer and did not confirm or deny the allegations.
Additionally, the man appeared to have injuries on his hands and knee and described his wife in the past tense as “a beautiful woman.” The husband was arrested and booked into jail on charges of aggravated assault and possession of dangerous drugs. His bond has been set at $500,000.
