A Boynton Beach man was arrested early Saturday after his wife’s remains were found buried in the backyard of their home, police said.
Roberto Colón, 66, is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail on first degree first degree murder charges.
Boynton Beach police confirmed Friday night that the human remains found at the home, located on SE 28th Court, belonged to Mary Stella Gómez Mullet, the 45-year-old Colombian woman who has been missing since February 18.
“Our deepest condolences go out to Mary’s family and loved ones,” Police Chief Michael G. Gregory said in a statement. “We remain dedicated to this investigation and to bringing justice for his family.”
According to NBC affiliate station WPTV, a court document indicates that Gómez Mullet was reported missing to authorities on February 20, two days after she was last seen on her way to Colón’s home.
Colón told police that he had married Gómez Mullet as part of an agreement in which she would take care of her mother in exchange for giving her US citizenship through marriage. Colón accused her of having stolen thousands of dollars from her mother over the course of several months.
Colón told police that he had had an argument with Gómez Mullet and that “he fired her from her job,” the document said.
After returning from a medical appointment an hour later, Colón assured that Gómez Mullet had left home and that he did not know where he was.
On February 23, a bloody woman’s purse was found less than a mile from Colón’s home. Gomez Mullet’s family said the items in the wallet belonged to her.
One person told police Wednesday that he had been with Colón while he was on the phone with Gómez Mullet and that, when the call ended, he told him that he wanted to kill the woman and bury her in the backyard.
Police initially arrested Colon Friday night on drug possession charges related to an earlier search of the home.