US man arrested after woman’s body found in bag

Investigators said the man had been withdrawing money from his victim’s bank account for several months after she went missing.

PRETORIA, May 31(ANA) – Police in the American state of Arizona have arrested a man for allegedly killing a woman whose body was found in a duffel bag in her own storage unit, CNN reported on Sunday.

The United States broadcaster quoted police as saying Brett Daniel Puett was arrested on Friday on charges including second-degree murder over the death of Debra Childers.

The 64-year-old woman who primarily lived out of her car had been reported missing, and investigators believe Puett, aged 35, had been withdrawing money from her bank account for several months, CNN said.

According to The Arizona Republic newspaper, Childers was reported missing on May 12 after her son, who lives out of the state, had not heard from her in several months.

Puett was not only withdrawing money from Childers’s bank account, but was also driving her car, The Arizona Republic said.

Detectives obtained search warrants for two storage units that belonged to Childers, and found a body believed to be hers concealed in a large duffle bag which appeared to have been there for several months.

Broadcaster ABC 15 Arizona reported that Puett was arrested at home after he arrived allegedly driving Childers’ vehicle.

Citing police, the news channel said Puett and Childers had met each other last summer while each was living out of their vehicles.

Childers was shot and killed in November while she and Puett were sharing a room in a motel. Police said they believed their relationship was platonic.

Puett allegedly admitted to being involved in the killing, the money withdrawals, as well as transporting and concealing Childers’ body, ABC 15 Arizona reported.

– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa