ANCHORAGE, ALASKA: A US Army soldier, who is suspected of murdering his newlywed wife in Alaska, is said to have celebrated his 21st birthday with her before she was killed, a criminal complaint states.
On Friday, August 18, the Anchorage Police Department announced that a grand jury returned an indictment against Zarrius Hildabrand, reports People.
He was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, 21-year-old Saria Barney Hildabrand, after he filed her missing report on August 7.
The authorities discovered Saria Hildabrand’s body in a storm drain with a gunshot wound to the left side of her head on August 10. Zarrius was later arrested in connection to her death.
According to the complaint, the pair and their friends were celebrating Zarrius' birthday on August 5 and returned home during the early morning hours of the following day.
Zarrius Hildabrand posted a missing person flier on social media
Zarrius, 21, had posted a missing person flier on his Facebook just days before with details about his wife.
“Updated information on my missing wife PLEASE SHARE AND REPOST!!!!!!” the Army cannon crew member wrote on Facebook prior to his arrest.
What did Zarrius Hildabrand tell the authorities?
In the complaint, authorities stated that Zarrius claimed his wife walked to work at a sandwich shop at around 10 am on August 6, but left her phone at home.
She was allegedly not there when he went to pick her up that evening and said that he had been searching for her ever since.
However, officers said that Zarrius' account did not match to that of Saria’s co-workers who said that she never showed up at work that morning.
As per the complaint, Zarrius bought bed sheets, a mattress cover, hydrogen peroxide and a spray bottle, among other items on August 6.
What did the authorities discover?
After obtaining a search warrant, the authorities found that the couple’s mattress had been “saturated” by "human blood," according to the complaint.
A blood reagent spray was also used in the home and showed latent blood "all over the bathtub and some of the floors."
Zarrius is currently represented by the Alaska Public Defender Agency as per the court records.
The victim was a member of the Alaska Army National Guard and according to a Facebook post from her family, her remains were returned to her native Utah on August 18 which were met with an Army honor guard.
"We are grateful to the Army for the beautiful show of support today, and every day since she was reported missing on August 7th," the post read.
Saria's funeral is scheduled for August 25 at 10 am in Mount Pleasant, Utah.
