Man Arrested After Missing Ex-wife's Remains Are Found In Burn Pile At Home

A Florida man was arrested after human remains, believed to be that of his ex-wife, were found in a burn pile on his property.

Ian Christopher Baunach, 43, of LaBelle, was charged in connection with the death of Katie Samantha Baunach and was taken into custody at the Hendry County Jail, the Sheriff's Office said in a statement Wednesday.

The last time 39-year-old Katie was seen alive was when she went to a friend's house on Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. to drop off her two children, whom she shares with Ian.

Katie told her friend she would return soon after picking up her things from Ian's house on Hidden Hammock Drive, the New York Post reported.

The victim was reported missing the following day after friends and family were unable to get in touch with her.

Law enforcement officers arrived at Ian's property and found Katie's car in the driveway with her purse inside. However, Ian was not at home. They returned later to find the car parked in the street. Ian was at home at the time but refused to let deputies inside his house.

After obtaining a search warrant, cops searched the house and found signs that suggested a physical struggle had taken place. They also found traces of blood in Ian's house and his car's trunk using luminol, a chemical that reacts with traces of blood by giving a blue glow.

Ian, a former marine, claimed the blood in his car was from transporting groceries and also told officers he didn't believe them about the blood found in different locations of his house.

Law enforcement officers found human remains in a burn pile on Oct. 1.

Deputies found "the fragments of a human mandible with an intact tooth in a fresh burn pile," the complaint said, as quoted by NBC News. They also found a blue 50-gallon barrel that "reeked of decaying flesh" and had human bone fragments.

Ian denied any involvement in Katie's death. He claimed they had an argument over another woman before he went to sleep and woke up to find that she was gone, the complaint said.

Katie had obtained a restraining order against Ian for in September allegedly physically abusing their child.

The ex-husband was initially arrested on Oct. 1 for drug-related charges in connection with steroids found inside his home. He was slapped with additional charges after officials confirmed that the human remains found on his property belonged to Katie.

He was charged on Oct. 10 "with 1st Degree Pre-Meditated Murder, Destruction/Conceal Physical Evidence, Use of Two-Way Communication Device to Facilitate a Felony, Cremate Dead Body 48 hours after Death and Failure to Report Death to Medical Examiner," the sheriff's office said.