A man is accused of murdering his wife and disposing of her body in a vacant home in Chatham Township, New Jersey.

The body of 32-year-old Elizabeth, NJ resident Karla Villagra-Garzon was discovered inside an empty house on Southern Boulevard in Chatham Township. Villagra-Garzon had gone missing three weeks earlier.

An autopsy conducted by the Union County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Villagra-Garzon’s cause of death as asphyxiation, with blunt-force trauma being a contributing factor.

Investigators suspected Villagra-Garzon’s husband, 39-year-old Ayayuba Rivas, was involved in her death. A joint investigation by the Elizabeth Police Department, the Union County Homicide Task Force, and the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit identified Rivas as the primary suspect.

After the results of the autopsy were revealed, Rivas was charged in Villagra-Garzon’s murder. Rivas was already being held by police on charges of hindering apprehension and endangering the welfare of a child because he allegedly lied to police and left his two-year-old child alone at home.

After being formally charged with murder, Villagra-Garzon was held at the Union County Jail in lieu of $2 million bail.

Union County authorities are asking that anyone with information about the case contact them at 908-965-3807.

For additional information, read the NJ.com article entitled “Missing Elizabeth Mom Is Found Dead, Husband Charged with Murder.”

If you’ve been accused of a homicide in New Jersey, contact Morristown NJ criminal defense attorney Alissa D. Hascup for a free consultation about your case.