Wedded bliss lasted less than a month for a fugitive who allegedly killed his new bride and left her body in the back seat of her abandoned car.
Chris Morland, who has been held on outstanding warrants from Texas for almost a week, was questioned by Tulsa, Oklahoma, detectives after Cassidy Ritchie went missing on Jan. 20.
A tip led police to the 39-year-old mom's extensively damaged car last week, when investigators found her body under a pile of clothes.
Morland "told multiple stories, and multiple versions of those stories," to detectives, Tulsa police said.
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He was officially arrested in connection with Ritchie's death on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder.
Ritchie's children have not seen or heard from their mom since Jan. 21, according to police.
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Morland allegedly told detectives during questioning that Ricthie was "just somewhere visiting a friend."
Ritchie's children, family, friends and volunteers went out on extensive searches throughout the area, but their hopes were erased when a tip led police to Ritchie's car not far from a local bar called "I Don’t Care Bar and Grill," about seven miles east of Catoosa, Oklahoma.
Police released photos of the car, which had "extensive off-road debris," Tulsa police said on Sunday.
Morland was allegedly defiant during the investigation, according to police.
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"Morland would not come off any of his stories," Tulsa police said in Tuesday's statement announcing his arrest. "We attempted to get Morland to sign a waiver for the car, but he refused and told us to get a warrant."
Investigators did just that and ultimately found Rictchie's body with "several injuries from blunt force trauma," police said.
Investigators received more insight into what happened from witnesses who said they saw the wrecked car near a creek.
The community has rallied around Ritchie. They organized fundraisers and donated to the family's GoFundMe page, while her oldest son, Joey David, and his grandparents navigate the next steps.
"Hopefully, my mother will receive the justice she deserves, and that man will never see the light of day again," David said on Facebook in a heartfelt thank you to the community.
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"Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers and endless amounts of text messages that have been sent to my family. My mother would have been blown away by the amount of support we are receiving.
"My grandparents and I will make sure my mother gets all the comfort, frills, and luxury in her passing that she may not have felt she received in this life."
It is unclear if Morland has retained a lawyer yet.
Anyone with information is asked to call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS. Tipsters remain anonymous when calling.
Law enforcement was also in the process of extraditing him to Texas on warrants for unrelated crimes.
