A young soldier in the US Army was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, four days after he reported her missing to police.
Zarrius Hildebrand, 21, shot dead his newlywed wife, Saria Hildebrand, and dumped her body in a storm drain. Later, he posted a Facebook message about her disappearance, the court records said. Zarrius also helped Saria’s mother search for her “missing” daughter.
According to the Anchorage Police Department in Alaska, Zarrius has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Saria was a medical practitioner with the Alaska National Guard. Police found Saria’s body Thursday as they searched for her using drones, NBC News reported.
Saria’s mother said she was shocked to know that Zarrius was behind her daughter’s death.
“He walked around for hours with me searching for my daughter, knowing that she was dead. He lied to me multiple times and tried to play it off like he was a concerned husband,” Fox News quoted Saria’s mother Meredith Barney.
Zarrius told police his wife left for work at about 10 am on August 6 and hadn’t returned home since then. He also claimed that she left her phone in the apartment but took her purse and wallet.
According to a neighbour, a gunshot was heard around 2:45 am on August 7. Police recovered two pistols from Zarrius’s kitchen. One of the guns was fully loaded while the other one was missing a single bullet.
An investigation into the incident is underway and the motive behind the murder is yet to be ascertained by the officials.
