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A detective for an Arizona prosecutor’s office faces a murder charge for strangling his wife to death and leaving her remains in their bedroom with the kids at home as he tried to flee, police said.
John Byrd was arrested by authorities in Mesa, Arizona, earlier this week in connection to the case.
On July 31, police responded to a home for a possible missing person, according to ABC 15. Worried friends reported they hadn’t seen the victim all day and she didn’t show up to their regular gym class.
The friend called the victim’s 11-year-old son, who said he and his two siblings - aged 8 and 4 - had not seen their mom all day and she was locked in her bedroom.
The acquaintance also told police that Bryd had left home around noon and had not been seen since, according to the report. The worried friend picked up the kids and took them to her home.
Police arrived and found the unnamed victim dead in the bedroom. There were no visible injuries on her at that time.
Mesa police found Byrd driving the victim’s vehicle and stopped him.
He was taken to a police station for questioning, where he said he had been stressed about his home and work life, according to the report. He told police that he got into a “heated argument” with his wife and “ a switch just flipped.”
Byrd told investigators that he strangled the victim and left her in the bedroom. He locked the door so their children would not see her, according to the report.
Authorities arrested Byrd and charged with second-degree murder.
Bryd was a detective with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office before his arrest. Nearby Pinal County prosecutors will handle the investigation, according to the report.
