ANCHORAGE, ALASKA: An Army soldier has been arrested and charged with the murder of his wife days after he called police to report her missing.
Zarrius Hidlabrand's 21-year-old wife Saria Hildabrand who was reported missing since Sunday, August 6, was found dead in a storm drain, reported Law and Crime.
Who is Zarrius Hildabrand?
Hildabrand has been charged with first-degree and second-degree murder along with evidence tampering in the death of his wife who worked as an Alaska Army National Guardsman, according to police.
The 21-year-old man was taken into custody after a Crime Scene Team visited a residence near his house on Midtown's Mockingbird Drive.
According to family members, Zarrius who reported Saria's missing was the last person to see her leave their home to walk to her job at Bread & Brew Alaska on Sunday morning.
Military searchers, investigators, and relatives had been looking for the missing woman this week.
What was Zarrius Hildabrand's motive behind killing his wife?
The charging document against the alleged murderer has not mentioned his motive behind the killing.
According to Zarrius' account of events, he and his wife were partying Saturday evening, and when they woke up Sunday morning, the victim chose to walk to work as she did not feel good enough to drive.
After Saria's disappearance was reported, investigators visited her home. Detectives noticed that the only bed in their house was covered only by a mattress pad and did not have sheets. The alleged killer refused authorities to check under the mattress.
A resident in the neighborhood told investigators that on Sunday at 2.45 am, he heard a nearby gunshot. A search warrant was obtained for the soldier's home and the bed was examined on Wednesday.
"They described the mattress as being saturated by human blood. There was so much blood on the mattress that the blood soaked through onto the carpet and into the wood frame," read the charging document.
What evidence led police to discover Saria Hildabrand's remains?
The department's Crime Scene Team found traces of blood in Hildabrand's home's floors, bathroom, and bathtub. Cops discovered two handguns, one of which "was missing one bullet out of the magazine."
On Thursday morning, investigators also found a matching trash can in the back of a truck. They spotted blood inside the can in the vehicle parked on Alpenhorn Avenue.
Police later discovered a pillow inside a storm drain and found human remains under the pillow.
"The human remains were positively identified as Saria Hildabrand. It appears she has a gunshot wound to her left temple," read the charging documents.
