Clay Waller charged with murder in disappearance of wife, Jacque
Clay Waller, 41, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his estranged wife and mother of their triplet daughters, Jacque Waller, who was 39 when she disappeared June 1. The Missouri man is currently in prison for threatening his wife’s sister.
The husband of a Missouri mother of triplets was charged Monday with first-degree murder in her death nearly a year after she disappeared.
Clay Waller, 41, also was charged with tampering with evidence in the death of his estranged wife, Jacque Waller, who was 39 when she disappeared June 1, The Associated Press reported.
More from GlobalPost: John Edwards trial opens with warning to key witness
Clay Waller already is in federal prison for threatening his wife's sister, who has been caring for the couple's 5-year-old triplets since their mother's disappearance, according to the AP. He has no listed attorney.
No body has been found, but authorities began investigating her disappearance as a murder since the day after Jacque Weller went missing, Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle told the Southeast Missourian newspaper.
The Wallers were having marital problems and going through divorce proceedings at the time Jacque went missing last year. Her sister called police after Jacque Waller failed to return home following a meeting with a divorce attorney, St. Louis TV station KSDK reported.
More from GlobalPost: Police chief in Trayvon Martin case to officially resign
Jacque Waller's abandoned vehicle was found along a Missouri interstate the next day. Subsequent searches of the area turned up her purse, but little else, according to KSDK.
The FBI said last year that Clay Waller suggested to his father that he had broken Jacque Waller's neck and buried her in a hole that he dug in advance. But Clay Waller has not confessed to police, and his father died before he could testify, according to the AP.
In January, Clay Waller was sentenced to five years in prison for threatening Jacque's sister, Cheryl Brennecke, the Abascus News reported.
According to the AP, authorities said he posted message directed at Brennecke in an online forum about the case. It read, in part, "You are dead … I will get you 5, 10, 25 years from now. You have it coming."
There is no paywall on the story you just read because a community of dedicated listeners and readers have contributed to keep the global news you rely on free and accessible for all. Will you join the 226 donors who have supported The World so far? From now until Dec. 31, your gift will help us unlock a $67,000 match. Donate today to double your impact!