Broward Sheriff's deputies have found a woman's body amid the search for a missing woman who they believe was murdered by her estranged husband, officials said.
The body was found in a wooded area near the 5500 block of Northwest 204th Street in Miami-Dade County Wednesday, Broward Sheriff's Office officials said.
Officials haven't confirmed that the body belongs to 39-year-old Mimose Dulcio, who has been missing since last week.
Earlier Wednesday, Dulcio's husband, 36-year-old Jose Luis Pacheco, made a brief appearance in court in Miami-Dade court where he was appointed a public defender and ordered held without bond.
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Pacheco was arrested in Hialeah Monday evening in connection with the disappearance and murder of Dulcio.
Dulcio had been last seen Thursday evening at her home in unincorporated central Broward, and a missing person alert was issued for her on Saturday.
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Broward Sheriff's Office officials said the couple were in the process of getting a divorce but had been sharing a home.
A search warrant was obtained for the couple's home and shared vehicle and during the search, investigators found evidence that suggested Dulcio had been murdered in the couple's home, and that her body had been transported in the couple's shared vehicle and disposed of in an unknown location, officials said.
"We hope with the fact that we have made an arrest in this case that it brings some sort of justice to the family," Broward Sheriff's Office spokesperson Gerdy St. Louis said Tuesday.
Dulcio's sister, Seminta Dulcio, said she had gone to her sister's home Friday morning when she couldn't get a hold of her.
According to an arrest warrant, Seminta Dulcio encountered Pacheco, who said he hadn't seen Mimose.
Seminta Dulcio said she and Pacheco got into a verbal altercation and while they were arguing, he jumped into his vehicle, a white Dodge Charger, and left, the warrant said.
"Seminta Dulcio stated that she had been checking on the victim on a daily basis because of the problems she had been having with Jose Pacheco," the warrant said.
She said she returned to the home Friday night.
"I bust through her door, she's not in there. We looked around, we just can't find Mimose," Seminta Dulcio said.
The family found that not only was Dulcio missing, but some of her belongings were missing, too. They also saw specks of blood and cracks on the TV.
"Two of her phones, they were broken, bent and they’re shattered, and that’s not like her to leave any of her devices because of what she’s currently going through," Seminta Dulcio said.
Pacheco told detectives that the two had been married for about 18 months but had just signed divorce paperwork on Nov. 9, the warrant said.
He said that she told him she didn't feel comfortable with him staying in the house, but he was saving up money to move out, the warrant said.
Detectives searched Pacheco's phone and found videos of the two arguing and yelling at each other, the warrant said.
Officials haven't said how Dulcio may have been killed.
Dulcio worked for the City of Fort Lauderdale beginning 2019 and had been an administrative assistant in the Development Services Department.
Detectives are asking the public for any information involving any unusual activities involving the suspect’s 2018 white Dodge Charger to call them at 954-321-4246.
