Missouri Woman Is Missing — and Husband Charged After Police Find Bloody Carpeting Soaked in Bleach
The search for Jennifer Rothwell continues in Missouri, but authorities do not believe the missing woman will be found alive after finding blood-stained carpeting saturated with bleach in the St. Louis home she shared with her husband.
Two days after Jennifer was reported missing, her husband, Beau, was taken into police custody and is now being held on $100,000 bond on a charge of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution in connection with Jennifer’s disappearance.
Beau is also being held on suspicion of first-degree murder.
Officers spent hours searching a field in St. Louis on Thursday, trying to find any trace of Jennifer, 28.
Beau, also 28, was arrested by St. Louis County police, who say they have video evidence allegedly showing him buying cleaning products the day before he reported his wife missing, according to charging documents.
Police allege he purchased carpet cleaner, gloves and bleach.
A search of the Rothwell home on Wednesday turned up wet carpeting that was soaked in bleach, say police.
Authorities allege the carpeting and the padding underneath it was stained with blood.
According to the charging documents, Beau allegedly “purchased and applied cleaning products to a large area of blood in effort to destroy or remove physical evidence with the purpose to impair its availability in an investigation into the murder of Jennifer Rothwell.”
A motive for the presumed slaying is unclear.
Authorities previously said Jennifer, a chemical engineer, was last seen leaving her house on Tuesday, as she was headed for work.
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Her abandoned car was recovered less than two miles from her home.
It was unclear Friday if Beau had entered a plea or retained an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Jennifer Rothwell is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 150 lbs. She has long, light brown curly hair and was last seen wearing business attire.
The couple first got together in 2013, marrying in 2015.
Before his arrest on Wednesday afternoon, Beau posted a message on Facebook about Jennifer.
“Some of you may have heard already, but last night my wife Jennifer went missing,” he wrote, before urging people with information to contact police.
