KEY POINTS

  • Mary Stella Gomez-Mullet was reported missing on Feb. 20
  • Authorities found her blood-stained purse near Roberto Colon's home
  • They searched Colon's home but did not find Gomez-Mullet
  • They found her body in Colon's backyard after getting a tip-off on Wednesday

A man from Florida was arrested on Saturday after his new wife's remains were found buried in his backyard.

The police arrested 66-year-old Roberto Colon on charges of first-degree murder after his wife, 45-year-old Mary Stella Gomez-Mullet, was found buried in his backyard. Gomez-Mullet, who married Colon recently, was reported missing on Feb. 20.

Colon told the investigators that he had gotten into an argument with his wife two days before she was reported missing. He believed that his wife, who was his mother's caretaker, had defrauded her of thousands of dollars. He then said that he had left home after the argument and that his wife was nowhere to be found when he returned from a doctor's appointment the next day, reported CBS12.

However, a friend told the police that she had last heard from Gomez-Mullet during a phone call on Feb. 18. She reportedly heard Gomez-Mullet yelling, "No, no, no, Roberto!" when she was arriving at Colon's home. The investigators found that after that particular conversation, all calls to Gomez-Mullet's phone had gone directly to her voicemail.

Colon reportedly told the investigators that he had only married Gomez-Mullett to give her U.S. citizenship in exchange for taking care of his mother with dementia.

The police found a blood-stained purse containing items belonging to Gomez-Mullet about a mile from Colon's home after she was reported missing.

During a search executed at Colon's house, police found bloodstains on the front door, garage and in a workshop. According to a report from South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Colon told investigators that the blood was from a cut he got while installing a door and one of his dogs had died in the garage.

He reportedly challenged the investigators to "find the body, find the body," while they were executing the search. As the investigating officers were leaving his home, Colon said, "Well, at least you didn’t find a body at my house," the arrest report indicated.

"There's one thing they can't do, they can't put what's his name, Humpty Dumpty, back together again," Colon was heard telling his friend while investigators were collecting the evidence.

On Wednesday, the police got a tip-off claiming that Colon had been overheard saying that he was going to strangle Gomez-Mullet and bury her body in the backyard. He was also reportedly heard arguing with his wife several times in January.

Based on these reports, police searched Colon's backyard on Friday. They found the human remains, which were later identified as Gomez-Mullet's.

"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."

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Colon reportedly told the investigators he had an argument with his wife two days before she was reported missing. pixabay