Jennifer Rothwell of Missouri went missing in November. Shortly after her disappearance, search warrants were obtained by authorities, which revealed Google searches Rothwell made on her phone before she died.
As KMOV reports, while being questioned by the police, Rothwell’s husband said the last time he saw his wife was on November 12 when she was leaving for work.
Shortly after Rothwell allegedly left for work that morning, her husband Beau Rothwell received four missed call notifications from his wife. Court documents also report that Beau reported his wife missing later that night after one of his wife’s co-workers called in to say she never showed up for work.
Around 8 p.m., as KMOV reports, Beau and the co-worker searched for Rothwell’s car, which they ultimately found 1.2 miles from their home, and Beau reported his wife missing. However, the vehicle had already been discovered by police roughly 11-hours earlier.
While talking with authorities, Beau originally told police that he was at home with Rothwell watching cooking shows the night before reporting her missing. Beau later declined detectives requests to search his home, car, phone, and their request for a DNA sample.
It was the following day, November 13, that police seized the trash can that was placed outside Beau and Jennifer’s home. Inside the trash can, police found “various cleaning supplies, including rubber gloves and paper towels.”
Jennifer Rothwell’s Husband Arrested and Charged With Murder
And the receipt for the cleaning items was also found inside the trash can. It was dated November 11 and timestamped at 9:22 p.m. Surveillance footage showed Beau at Dierbergs, where he purchased the cleaning supplies, revealing that he couldn’t have been home watching television with Rothwell.
After warrants were obtained, KMOV reports that Beau was arrested and taken to St. Louis County Justice Center. Authorities who searched the home reported an “overwhelming” smell of bleach and other cleaning supplies.
Red stains that tested positive for human blood were also found on the basement steps. DNA used from Rothwell’s parents helped determine the blood was their daughter’s.
The affidavit stated, “Despite the current temperatures in the 30-degree range, several basement windows were found open in an apparent attempt to dissipate the odor bleach and cleaning solvents.”
Those warrants, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, also revealed that the 28-year-old wife and mom-to-be had searched “what to do if your husband is upset you are pregnant” before her death.
A weeks after Rothwell went missing, her body was discovered 45 miles away from the home she shared with her husband. She was six weeks pregnant. Beau has since been charged with second-degree murder and evidence tampering.
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As the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports, Beau told authorities where to find Rothwell. A source close to the investigation also revealed that Beau was allegedly having an affair at the time his wife was killed.
Preliminary autopsy reports show that Rothwell suffered blunt force trauma to her head. It’s is unclear when Beau is expected to appear in court. Pending official autopsy reports, Beau could be facing additional charges.