A Florida man is under arrest for allegedly attempting to kill his wife by using her cellphone to send text messages to her friends and family, pretending to be her, after she appeared to have contracted the coronavirus while in quarantine, police said.
As per the report from the Jupiter Police Department, Gretchen Anthony was transferred from the hospital and handed over to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for additional monitoring subsequent to being diagnosed with the coronavirus. Approximately four relatives, acquaintances, and neighbors received text messages from her stating this, approximately on March 23rd.
According to the police report, the hospital additionally stated that it was not their procedure for COVID-19 patients “to be transported to a CDC approved task force.” The Jupiter Medical Center informed the police and family members that Gretchen Anthony had not been a patient there since 2008, but her vehicle was located in their parking area with her handbag on the driver’s seat.
Authorities, as per law enforcement officials, notified about the absence of the 51-year-old individual and expressed apprehension that her separated spouse, David Anthony, might be involved in her vanishing. Relatives contacted the Jupiter Police on March 25 and.
The couple both filed for divorce on Feb. 28, according to records found online.
The police reported that they were afraid Anthony Gretchen may have done something based on their prior knowledge of his behavior, and David separately lived with family members who had “issues.”
According to the report, Anthony David, who went missing a week before, was allegedly seen by the police altering the black electrical tape on his license plate while sweating profusely. When officers approached him about the license plate manipulation, he allegedly blamed his 12-year-old daughter for disobeying his orders not to get into the car.
According to the police report on March 15th, Anthony David allegedly slammed the car door on the arm of an officer, as he attempted to arrest him. He was arrested for resisting an officer with violence and released on bail of $3,000.
During the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Gretchen Anthony, the neighbor provided the authorities with photographic evidence of a vehicle reversing into the driveway. The neighbor informed the police that on March 21, they overheard distressing cries of a woman, described as “blood curdling screams,” accompanied by desperate exclamations of “No! No, it’s painful!” Emanating from either Gretchen Anthony’s patio or garage.
Authorities stated that the vehicle was owned by David Anthony.
According to the police report, Anthony David, who was named the prime suspect, was killed on March 21st by Jupiter Police. Investigators later determined that Gretchen had seen Anthony at work on March 20th, in “good spirits.”
As per the police report, a nearby resident informed authorities that she had last spotted David Anthony on March 23rd as he collected his canine and requested her to care for his feline, as Gretchen Anthony was under a 14-day quarantine.
The police conducted a search of the house and discovered towels that were stained with reddish marks, small blood droplets in the master bedroom, and significant bleach stains on the garage floor.
On March 27th, in Texas, Anthony, Gretchen, and David’s cellphones were pinged on a tower. In Las Cruces, on March 31st, the police caught Anthony and David, and took them into custody in New Mexico.
The police said that they have not found Gretchen, Anthony’s white and black Husky dog, even though they frequently located him with his owner, David.
On Tuesday, Anthony David was in the Ana Doña County Detention Center, awaiting extradition back to Palm Beach, Florida, where he faces charges of second-degree kidnapping and murder. The Attorney’s office did not provide information on his records in jail.