William Lowe, Delray Beach man, 78, kills wife, Aydil Barbosa Fontes, dismembers her into 3 suitcases found floating in ocean. Man denied knowing wife’s whereabouts. Last seen 3 weeks ago by neighbors.
Love don’t live here anymore. A man has been arrested after he allegedly shot dead his 80-year-old wife and placed her dismembered remains in three suitcases before dropping them in a Florida waterway.
William Lowe, 78, was charged with the murder of Aydil Barbosa Fontes in Delray Beach on Wednesday along with abuse of a dead body- nearly three weeks after her remains were discovered floating inside the suitcases in the Intracoastal Waterway on July 21.
In total investigators found 5 bags containing the victim’s body parts, including 3 suitcases, a tote bag and a smaller purse. A medical examiner said the woman who was identified via dental records, died by a gunshot to the head.
Missing wife’s head found inside a tote bag shut tight with twine
According to Lowe’s arrest report, the first suitcase was located on the west side of the Intracoastal and had a ‘human foot protruding through the zipper.’ Inside were ‘human legs’ and ‘several small landscaping rocks.’
A second suitcase contained Barbosa Fontes’ torso, with the head and hands missing. Small landscaping rocks were also found inside.
The third suitcase contained her pelvis and more landscaping rocks, WPTV reported.
Barbosa Fontes’ head was found a day later inside a tote bag tied shut with twine in the water. A purse similarly tied with twine was found nearby with an ashtray inside. Officials have suggested the ashtray could have served as a weight.
The head showed a ‘single gunshot wound behind the woman’s ear with an exit wound behind the opposite ear.’
Police have released a sketch of what she may have looked like – they say she was either white or Hispanic, and may have had tattooed eyebrows.
Delray Beach, Fl Authorities identify Aydil Barbosa Fontes,80 years old, as the victim found in pieces inside suitcases floating in the intracoastal. She was shot in the head before being dismembered by her husband. #aydilbarbosafontes #dismembered #bodyinsuitcases pic.twitter.com/mBMSuIzJoH
— Carime Hernández (@CarimeHernandez) August 3, 2023
Ongoing suspicious behavior
She was found wearing a floral top made by a Brazilian company called Betzabe.
Unable to find additional information, police released the sketch and pictures of her clothes and the suitcases.
A witness reportedly told police that a white man in his 50s or 60s had been looking at the suitcase in the water ‘approximately 5-6 times over a three-day period.’
Another said they had seen a man using a metal pole to push something in the waterway.
Investigators tied the suitcase to Lowe after finding blood on a metal dock ladder near where the third suitcase was found.
According to Lowe’s arrest report, he was seen on surveillance footage climbing down the dock ladder early in the morning of July 20, and then doing the same thing hours later.
On July 24, an officer reported a gold Ford Taurus in the scene that was later tied to Lowe.
He was also seen at the scene the day police found the remains, with a witness claiming he said ‘s**t,’ before leaving in his car.
Lowe, who lives 0.1 miles from where the third suitcase was found, was questioned on July 31 and said he was married to Barbosa Fontes, claiming she had been in Brazil for about three weeks.
When asked when he last spoke to his wife of 15 years, he reportedly said he did not know, and claimed he had no connection to the suitcases.
Aydil Barbosa Fontes’ body was apparently dismembered with a chainsaw and stuffed into multiple suitcases and bags. Her husband was arrested in connection with her murder. https://t.co/HGqcLZVOyr
— NBC 6 South Florida (@nbc6) August 4, 2023
Caught trying to access apartment during active search warrant
Police executed a search warrant in his home the same day, and found blood ‘in the master bath shower drain as well as the tub of the second bathroom,’ the dailymail reported.
They also found a 9mm handgun in a desk drawer and ‘drag marks’ in different areas of the home, as well as ‘large amounts of blood’ and cleaning supplies – some of which with ‘contained blood spatter.’
Police say Lowe was caught trying to sneak into his apartment through a window as cops conducted the search. He claimed he wanted to get his phones and keys to his storage unit.
A neighbor and the maintenance manager in his building said two or three weeks ago they had seen a trail of a ‘soup’-like substance leading from the doorway of Lowe’s apartment to the door of his sister’s apartment one floor above his.
One neighbor said they had never seen the sister, while another claimed they hadn’t seen her in more than two years.
But there was more to come.
On August 2, cops searched a storage unit registered to Lowe and found a ‘chainsaw that appeared to have blood on the blade, chain and housing.’
They also saw ‘what appeared to be bone matter, flesh and human hair in the housing of the saw.’
Lowe entered a not guilty plea on Thursday and is being held with no bond.
His lawyer described him as a veteran and a successful business owner.
