A man suspected of strangling his wife, an Instagram influencer, last year in Texas was found dead on Wednesday in a Florida home, according to law enforcement.
Alexis Sharkey’s body was discovered Nov. 28 on the side of a road, about 17 miles west of downtown Houston, after she was reported missing, police said at the time.
An autopsy determined the 26-year-old died of strangulation, authorities revealed in January.
Her husband, Tom Sharkey, was found dead of an apparent suicide at a residence in Florida, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed to NBC News Wednesday.
Sharkey killed himself after learning that the marshals were at the Fort Myers home, where he had been staying with a relative, Houston police said.
An arrest warrant was obtained for him on Sept. 29 with the intent to formally charge him with murder once he was in custody, according to police.
Police had not publicly identified Tom Sharkey as a suspect in his wife’s death until Wednesday.
Investigators discovered there was history of domestic violence from Tom Sharkey and that the couple was breaking up.
A domestic violence report was not filed, but Alexis Sharkey made statements to others that her husband had physically abused her. Evidence showed the couple had separated, and while Tom Sharkey was interested in reconciling, his wife was not, according to police.
Tom Sharkey was not truthful in his conversations with police and had been evasive with authorities, including leaving the state shortly after Alexis Sharkey’s death, police said.
He initially agreed to give a DNA sample in August but “essentially disappeared” when a detective went to meet him on an agreed upon date,” police said.
Police said there was a “lengthy” investigation and other theories, including one Tom Sharkey gave, were explored. Detectives ultimately determined he was the only person with the means and motive to kill Alexis Sharkey.
According to her mother, Alexis Sharkey went missing just after Thanksgiving last year. The influencer, who had more than 87,000 followers on Instagram, had moved to Houston in January 2020 after she got married.
Tom Sharkey posted about his wife’s disappearance and death on social media, according to NBC affiliate KPRC, addressing what he called “crap talk” from commenters about the situation.
“And if my wife would of seen this she would be disappointed in your actions! You all should be ashamed of yourselves!” he posted. “I have been assisting the deputies and making phone calls to find out what happened to my wife.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
