DELRAY BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Authorities arrested a Delray Beach man accused of murdering his wife after human remains were found inside suitcases.
Delray Police arrested 78-year-old William Lowe on Wednesday.
He is being charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a dead body.
The suspect appeared before a judge on Thursday.
“Mr. Lowe was taken into custody last night by the Delray Beach Police Department, charged with first degree murder and improper dismemberment of the human body,” said Delray Beach Police Detective Michael Liberta.
Authorities identified the victim as 80-year-old Aydil Barbosa Fontes.
On July 24, investigators said, three suitcases were found floating in the water along the Intracoastal Waterway, near the 1000 block of Palm Trail in Delray Beach, that contained the victim’s remains.
Jacob Grozier said he found one of the suitcases.
“We found the second suitcase, we found it found it directly across the Intracoastal on the rocks, not last Friday, but the Friday before,” he said.
Authorities said Barbosa Fontes was wearing the same light colored floral shirt that she was seen wearing in several pictures.
“There was no blood, but there were flies all over it, and there was a terrible smell,” said Grozier. “I just saw what looked like flesh from the upper zipper, and we called the cops.”
Police and divers responded and began their investigation. They found rocks inside the suitcases and two more tote bags with human remains.
“We were just sitting out at the dock, and we saw the police boat,” said area resident Brenda Larocca. “[The officer] parked his boat on the dock. A scuba team came in and was checking into some things.”
“Detectives conducted neighborhood canvases and developed multiple witnesses that were able to supply information in reference to a vehicle and a subject that was seen in the area multiple times prior to the suitcases being located,” said Liberta.
That vehicle, police said, was Lowe’s gold Ford Taurus.
According to the police report, the suspect was seen on surveillance video going up and down a set of metal stairs at the dock and into the Intracoastal. Blood was also found on the stairs.
Police used Lowe’s car tag information, which led them to the couple’s apartment just blocks away from where the suitcases were found.
Once inside the unit, investigators said, they found large amounts of blood in the living room, dining room, the bathtub and the drains in the bathroom.
According to the police report, drag marks were also found at the residence where Lowe and his wife lived, as well as a chainsaw charger and cover. The report also mentioned that there was a trail of blood leading to Lowe’s apartment.
A Ryobi chainsaw was found at a nearby storage unit with blood, hair and bone fragments on the blade chain and housing.
Police said Barbosa Fontes’ cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators found a 9 mm gun inside the couple’s apartment.
“Although we can never truly repair what has transpired, it is our hope that our efforts can somehow bring peace to the victim and her family,” said Liberta.
People who live in the quiet community responded to the alleged murder.
“My daughter lives on the street, so just in and out, the last couple of days, there’s been a lot of police activity,” said Larocca, “so it’s just distributing in the fact that this kind of event has happened into the Delray community, such a small, niche community, and so disturbing and gruesome as the details are.”
Police are still asking people in the area to provide them with surveillance video as their investigation continues.
Police said that when detectives initially asked Lowe about his wife, he said that she had gone to Brazil. When they asked him what airline she took, he said he didn’t know.
Lowe has since retained an attorney and is not cooperating with police.
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