Authorities have confirmed on Friday that the remains found in a desert area of Arizona have been confirmed to belong to a missing woman.
Deborah Lee Delaney, 54, has been missing since April of 2011. Her daughter reported her missing when she didn't hear from her on Easter.
Deborah's husband, William Raymond Delaney said he had gone to a medical appointment at 1:00 p.m. on April 25, and when he got back Deborah was gone. He had not reported her missing, because he thought she had left him.
The skeletal remains were found by hikers south of milepost 17 on State Route 74 on February 6. An medical examiner confirmed the identity of the remains by dental records.
Police had named William the sole suspect in her disappearance and had submitted charges of first degree murder for him to the courts, but before Delaney could be arrested he took his own life, reports My Fox Philly news. He was found in his vehicle at the Mormon Lake Overlook outside of Flagstaff where he had died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Delaney's mother gave the police a letter that was handwritten by her daughter in 2007 that stated that she was "in fear of my life from my husband." She also stated that she felt threatened to tell authorities about Social Security fraud she believed her husband committed, reports Arizona Central news.
This letter was in contrary to another typed letter that was given to the police by William that said that Deborah was leaving William for another man because "he wasn't the same man she married." Police suspected that William actually typed the letter.
Peoria Police said that the discovery of Deborah's remains and other evidence confirms their suspicions that William was responsible for killing Deborah. Police are also investigating whether William was responsible for the death of his third wife that died under suspicious circumstances.
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