A Florida man was arrested after the body of his new wife was discovered buried in his backyard. Roberto Colon, 66, and Mary Stella Gomez-Mullet, 45, tied the knot in January after knowing each other for just a few weeks.
According to WPEC, Colon told authorities that he married Gomez-Mullet so she could get U.S. citizenship under the condition that she would take of his sick mother.
About a month later, Colon fired Gomez-Mullet as his mother's caretaker, accusing her of defrauding his mother out of thousands of dollars.
On February 20, Gomez-Mullet was reported missing by a friend, who overheard a concerning conversation between her and Colon two days earlier. The woman told police she was on the phone with Gomez-Mullet, when she heard her say, "No, no, no, Roberto!" before the call abruptly disconnected. When she tried calling back, the phone went straight to voicemail.
Colon told police that he got into an argument with his wife but denied harming her. He said he went to a doctor's appointment after the fight and that she was gone when he returned home.
A few days later, police searched his home and found bloodstains on the front door, in the garage, and inside of his workshop. Investigators took samples of the blood and sent them to a lab to be tested. When the test results confirmed the blood was human, they went back to Colon's house.
He told detectives that his wife was "swimming with the fishes" and taunted them to "find the body." A few days later, they returned to search his backyard and discovered the remains of Gomez-Mullet. He was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. He was also charged with possession of marijuana.
"Our heartfelt condolences are with Mary's family and loved ones," Boynton Beach Police Chief Michael G. Gregory said in a statement. "We remain dedicated to this ongoing investigation and bringing justice to her family."
Photo: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office