CRAWFORDSVILLE — A Crawfordsville man has been charged with murder after he allegedly killed and decapitated his wife.
Police arrested Michael Parks on Friday after investigators found his wife's body and severed head, according to court documents filed Monday.
On Aug. 20, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office received a report of a deceased woman, identified as Hope Parks, whose headless body was found on County Road 225 on the Sugar Creek Bridge.
Michael Parks told Crawfordsville police his wife had been missing since Aug. 18 following an argument. He said the last time he saw her was when she left their house and got into a silver or white Honda that was driven by an unknown person.
During a search of the couple's house in the 1000 block of South Elm Street, police found dried blood in the gravel driveway in front of an overhead garage door, on the garage floor with a shoe print and on an exterior deck. Officers also discovered a trail of dried blood in the grass.
Later in the day, investigators found a human head with bullet wound buried in the cellar of the house.
Police also found a .22 caliber rifle and ammunition, which matched a spent .22 caliber cartridge casing that was found in the yard next to a trail of blood. A phone believed to have belonged to Hope Parks was found in a safe in the home's bedroom. Investigators also found a man's shoe with tread similar to the footprint in the blood droppings in the garage.
The next day, investigators discovered a blue tarp that was stained with blood, along with hair and plastic bags containing blood-covered rags that were found in the hole where the severed head was buried.
An initial hearing for Michael Parks was held Tuesday. His jury trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 12, 2021.
