A man from Texas has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his estranged wife while their children were at home, according to police reports.
Jake Bigoni, 37, was taken into custody on Wednesday after officers conducting a welfare check found his estranged wife, Eliana Bigoni, dead in their apartment in Plano, Texas.
He was initially charged with felony abuse of a corpse. However, authorities later upgraded the charge to murder, as detailed in a police news release.
The welfare check was prompted by a friend of Eliana who reported she couldn’t be reached for breakfast at around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, which led to authorities being alerted, as mentioned in an arrest warrant.
The friend informed authorities that Jake and Eliana were separated, and that Eliana was on her way to collect their two children, aged 2 and 5.
The couple was in the midst of a divorce when the incident occurred.
Jake Bigoni’s mother contacted the police, stating that her son had called her revealing, “I want to talk to you. She’s dead. We got into a fight and she died.”
When police arrived at Jake Bigoni’s apartment, they reportedly noticed a significant blood stain on his shirt, which he claimed was from cleaning. Eliana’s body was subsequently discovered in the trunk of a white Hyundai parked in the garage of her apartment complex, with evidence of severe injuries to her head and face.
Authorities mentioned that the couple’s children were present during the alleged incident but remained unharmed.
Additionally, reports indicate that Jake Bigoni has a background of violent behavior.
He is currently being held in custody without bail.
