A man allegedly killed, dismembered, and disemboweled his wife just hours before the pair were set to host Thanksgiving.
When relatives arrived at the New Mexico home for the family function, it was reportedly locked and appeared empty.
Family members resulted in removing the hinges from a door to get into the building, but when they got in they found Connie Denio’s dismembered body on the bedroom floor, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
They then found her husband, Karlan, lying in the bed in the same room.
A criminal complaint in Metropolitan Court stated that the initial call to the police was for a welfare check when they were unable to get into the residence.
The second call was after the discovery of Connie’s corpse and ended in authorities detaining Denio at the scene.
Denio’s sister reported to authorities that, when they finally got in, the home was dark, and she walked in to find her brother on the bed with Connie’s remains on the ground.
“Karlan looked at her, at which point (she) backed out of the residence and called police again,” the criminal complaint said.
Police said that they found Connie “dismembered and disemboweled” in the bedroom, according to the outlet.
The family told authorities that in the last two years, Karlan had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, which could have changed his personality, cause him emotional withdrawal, and other mental health issues.
The 62-year-old man now faces one count of murder following the death of his wife.
Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, told the outlet that Denio is in the hospital receiving treatments for gashes to his arm and his neck.
A Facebook post paying tribute to Connie said she was “Young. Vibrant. Fearless.”
“This is how I will always remember my aunt Connie… Not afraid to climb a tree in a dress,” an apparent relative wrote.
Neighbor Rich Cordova spoke to the Journal following the incident and said: “I’m stunned. That is unbelievable.”
He stated that he lived near the family for 20 years, and this is something he would never expect.
Cordova said that the Denio couple were nice and always said hello.
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