A man in Florida has been arrested for the murder of his wife after her remains were discovered in suitcases last month!
According to a press release from the Delray Beach Police Department on Friday, 78-year-old William Lowe Jr. was taken into custody for the death of 80-year-old Aydil Barbosa Fontes. He faces charges of first-degree murder and abuse of a dead body. As for what happened? The details are chilling, to say the least. Buckle up, Perezcious readers, there is a lot to cover with this case.
According to the arrest affidavit obtained by Law & Crime, the Delray Beach Police received a call on July 21 from a man who said he found several suitcases along the Intracoastal Waterway potentially containing human remains. When law enforcement arrived at the scene, they quickly confirmed what the eyewitness spotted – saying they discovered a “human foot protruding through the zipper” of the luggage. The first suitcase recovered contained human legs and several small rocks inside. On the bag, there was a sticker that read “Latam, MIA, Barbosa [Unreadable character] Ontes.”
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About an hour later, cops received another call about a witness who uncovered a second suitcase that contained body parts on some rocks in the Intracoastal Waterway. Detectives went over to the area to investigate, where they confirmed a human torso, without a head or hands, was inside the bag. There were also some “small landscaping rocks” inside again. The witness on the scene said his friend was on a boat and located a third suitcase, which had a female pelvis and a Cheesecake Factory bag filled with rocks.
The following day, a tote bag with a man’s belt wrapped around it was found in the waterway. The handles were also tied shut with twine When officers opened it, a human head was inside. A single gunshot wound behind the victim’s ear was seen by cops, and the medical examiner later confirmed that as the cause of death. Around the scene, a purse was picked up – oddly tied with the same twine as the tote and had contained an ashtray inside.
The police department asked the public for help identifying the victim, saying the murder happened between July 17th and 20th, and they released reconstructed images of what the woman may have looked like before she was killed. Photos of the “unique” suitcases were also shown to the public.
During the investigation, law enforcement interviewed a witness who claimed they saw a man in his 50s or 60s “looking into the intracoastal waterway” for a few days before the human remains were found. The person claimed they saw the guy roughly 6 times in three days. When the witness eventually asked him what he was looking for, he allegedly replied he was “waiting for the big boat to come into the harbor.”
However, the witness pointed out it was “too shallow” for a large vessel. After his response, the man “appeared nervous” and “immediately walked over to his car.”
Another witness also said they saw a man with the same description in the area on July 21 looking at a suitcase. He allegedly said “s**t” before driving away from the scene in a Ford. While detectives searched the area later on, they saw a dock ladder with blood on it. A witness claimed to have seen the same man as mentioned before use the ladder while holding a metal pole and using it “to push or scrape something in the waterway.”
Looking into the surveillance from the area on July 20, police saw in the footage a shirtless man carrying a Cheesecake Factory bag that “appeared to have some weight to it” climbing down the ladder. He then vanished from the view of the camera. But minutes later, he came back and was no longer holding the bag. His shoes were left at the scene.
Then, a Ford was spotted on July 24 by the police in the same location where the remains were dumped. When cops ran the plates, the car turned out to belong to Lowe. He lived only .01 miles from where one of the suitcases was discovered. Records indicated Lowe lived with a woman named Aydil Barbosa Fontes, and she was confirmed to be his wife. Her name also matched a sticker on the suitcase.
All of this information led police to interview Lowe. He allegedly told them Aydil was in Brazil for “about 3 weeks.” However, Lowe had no clue how she ended up at the airport, what airline she took to get to Brazil, or when they last spoke to each other. Very suspicious. When officers showed him a picture of the suitcases, he alleged to have never seen them before and had no idea why her name was on them.
From there, a search warrant was conducted on the apartment on July 31. What detectives found was grisly. There allegedly was “blood spatter throughout the residence,” including in the dining room, living room, hallway, bedroom, and both bathrooms. Cops noticed drag marks all over the place and cleaning supplies covered in blood. During the search, Lowe “attempted to enter the residence through the rear window.” However, he was stopped by the officers from getting in. Lowe apparently wanted his cell phone and keys from the storage unit – which police obtained a search for later on.
By August 1st, medical records officially identified Aydil as the victim. Lowe and Adyil’s neighbor claimed she hadn’t seen the woman in a “couple of weeks” but saw her husband leave flowers on the doorstep. Another neighbor claimed they witnessed what they originally thought was a “trail of soup” from the door of Lowe’s apartment, down the hall, and up the stairs to another residence that belonged to his sister. However, his sibling hasn’t been seen in the building for years.
While looking into the sister’s apartment, police found a charger for a Ryobi chainsaw and more cleaning supplies. Looking into the aforementioned storage unit, they came across the chainsaw “that appeared to have blood” on it and “bone matter, flesh, and human hair.” There was also a cooler with red marks and blood stains.
Lowe was arrested on Wednesday and is currently being held at Palm Beach County Jail. During a court appearance on Thursday, CNN reported he pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. His attorney, Marc Shiner, told the outlet the suspect is a “former Marine who honorably served our country,” and “is looking forward for the entire truth to come out in the courtroom.” Meanwhile, Delray Beach Police Chief Russ Mager said in a statement about the arrest:
“This murder has gripped our community. Many thoughtful people have provided information which has proved valuable to the case. Since day one, our detectives and officers worked tirelessly to identify the victim and bring her killer to justice. It is my hope that our efforts can bring peace to the victim’s family.”
At this time, no motive for the brutal murder was revealed. Hopefully, this family can get some justice for Aydil’s murder. Reactions? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Del Ray Police Department/Facebook]
