Okla. Newlywed Husband Accused of Killing Missing Wife Weeks After Marrying Her

Chris Morland was arrested on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of 39-year-old Cassidy Ritchie

• Tulsa police arrested Chris Morland on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of his wife Cassidy Ritchie

• Her body was found in her wrecked car on Sunday after police served a search warrant

• Ritchie's family had reported her missing to police on Jan. 25

An Oklahoma man is accused of murdering his missing wife, whose body was found in her wrecked car under a pile of clothes over the weekend, authorities said.

On Monday, Chris Morland was arrested on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of 39-year-old Cassidy Ritchie, his wife of less than one month, the Tulsa Police Department announced Sunday.

Ritchie’s body was found on Sunday when investigators served a search warrant on her light blue SUV, which witnesses reported was wrecked off a creek in Catoosa, Okla, near the I Don’t Care Bar & Grill, according to police. Her car was reportedly last seen Friday by the bar.

Ritchie was found in her SUV “hidden in a very small space and covered with clothing and boxes,” police said. She had several injuries from what police claimed was blunt force trauma.

On Jan. 25, Tulsa police asked for the public’s help in finding the woman after her parents filed a missing persons report that day. Ritchie’s family had reportedly not heard from her since Jan. 21. At the time, police also said in a statement that Ritchie had been involved in a domestic disturbance and did not provide further information.

Morland was initially taken into custody by Tulsa police on warrants out of Texas on Jan. 24. During questioning, police allege Morland told several stories and gave multiple versions of those stories.

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“Morland would not come off any of his stories and maintained that [Ritchie] was just somewhere visiting a friend,” police claimed in the press release. Police added that Morland allegedly refused to sign a waiver to search Ritchie’s car and instead requested law enforcement obtain a warrant.

Court records first cited by CBS Austin show Ritchie and Morland got married on Jan. 7 in Tulsa.

A motive for the alleged violence remains under investigation by police.

It’s unclear if Morland has entered a plea to the murder charge or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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