A newlywed couple who disappeared about a month after their wedding were found dead under a pile of clothes in the back of their damaged and abandoned car, police said.
Cassidy Ritchie, 39, has been missing since January 20, and police officially declared her missing and endangered five days later in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
For more than a week, her children led the search effort along with community volunteers. Tulsa police announced Sunday that a hopeful rescue effort ended with the tragic discovery that her car had “a large amount of off-road debris” in the back.
Her new husband, Chris Moreland, is being questioned as a “person of interest” but police said he was not speaking. He is being held on an outstanding warrant from Texas.
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Cassidy Ritchie, who was married about a month ago, was found dead in an abandoned car. (Facebook)
“Our mother has been found,” Ritchie’s eldest son, Joey David, said in a Facebook post on Sunday. “Unfortunately, she is no longer with us. She is currently under investigation so we cannot say any more.”
“Thank you to everyone who took the time yesterday to help search for her. Thank you to all the friends, family and strangers who came forward and keep her in our thoughts and prayers. Please allow my family and I privacy as we work through the grieving process. ”
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Tulsa police have narrowed Ritchie’s disappearance to a narrow period of time between January 21 and 23, when Moreland showed up alone at the couple’s Tulsa home, Fox 23 reported.
Tulsa police said the incident was officially classified as a homicide and that Ritchie was “involved in a prior domestic violence incident,” but did not provide further details.
Tulsa police said on January 28 that Cassidy Ritchie was found dead in the back of her car, which was loaded with “a large amount of off-road debris.” (Tulsa Police Department)
Newlywed mother Cassidy Ritchie, 39, was found dead in the back seat of her car, and Tulsa police have classified her death as a “homicide.” (Facebook)
Ritchie’s family learned after her death that Tulsa police had responded to a domestic violence incident during a law enforcement missing persons investigation.
However, Richie’s family described their relationship as “tumultuous,” Fox 23 reported.
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Before Ritchie was found, Tulsa Police Lt. Brandon Watkins told local news outlets that Moreland was “obviously someone who could help us, but right now we’re not getting the answers we need.” Told.
Moreland was taken into custody and is being held on an outstanding Texas warrant in a separate case.
Information posted on the Tulsa Police Department’s Facebook page led investigators to Richie’s car about 10 miles away from a local bar, the I Don’t Care Bar and Grill, in Catoosa, Oklahoma. became.
Police believe Cassidy Ritchie, 39, was killed sometime between January 21 and 23. (Tulsa Police Department)
Lt. Watkins told Fox 23 News the car was damaged and covered in dirt and grass.
“They pulled off the road and left the car parked east of it on Highway 412, somewhere between the casino and the I Don’t Care Bar and Grill beyond. I’m guessing.”
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Tulsa Police seek more information about past domestic violence incidents, Moreland’s criminal history, and whether law enforcement expects Moreland to be charged in Ritchie’s “suspicious” death Fox News Digital did not immediately respond to requests.
Anyone with information please call tulsa crime stoppers Call 918-596-COPS. You can remain anonymous when making a call.
