Arrest/THE STARA woman of Kenyan descent who was reported missing last week after she didn't show up to work for several days was found dismembered in a car over the weekend, Delaware and Maryland police said.
The investigation into the whereabouts of 31-year-old woman began Friday night, when New Castle County officers responded to her apartment complex in the 2700 block of Stone Place in Bear, USA.
Police suspect a love triangle as the reason for the tragedy. They had received an earlier report from her employer that she hadn't been to work for several days.
When police entered the deceased apartment, they "uncovered several suspicious circumstances that raised concerns about her safety and well-being," a New Castle County Police news release said.
After failing to get a hold of her or find her, the agency issued a Gold Alert. Gold Alerts are typically issued when a law enforcement agency receives notice that an older adult, a suicidal person, a juvenile, a person with a disability, or a vulnerable person is missing.
Through their investigation, detectives determined that the woman was last seen just before 8 a.m. on December 17.
They also learned that another male of Kenyan descent in the US was a "potential person of interest," according to police. The two were "known acquaintances," local media reported.
A relative of the deceased said the two had been together for three years, and the woman had decided to end the relationship.
“He chopped my cousin’s legs and arms and left her with a head and torso. They were together for three years, but he could not move on from her," a relative claimed.
"He was obsessed with her,” said a relative.
While county police did not say how they identified the former lover as a potential suspect, a news release from the Aberdeen, Maryland Police Department called him a "potential male homicidal person."
County police requested the help of Aberdeen officers and ultimately found the suspect and his car in the 1100 block of Philadelphia Blvd. in Aberdeen.
When police searched the car, they found "dismembered human remains."
Officers arrested the suspect and charged him with first-degree murder. He was taken to a holding facility in Maryland, where he's awaiting extradition to Delaware.
The suspect's vehicle was found in Aberdeen, Maryland, with the suspect in the vicinity at the time.
The suspect will be arraigned in Delaware once he's extradited. Police said additional charges may also be filed "as evidence continues to be collected in this ongoing investigation."
