Man Wanted For Murdering Influencer Wife Found Dead From Apparent Suicide In Florida

A man wanted for murdering his influencer wife was found dead from an apparent suicide as authorities moved in for his arrest in a Florida home Wednesday, police have said.

Tom Sharkey was accused of fatally strangling his 26-year-old Instagram influencer wife, Alexis Sharkey, last year in Texas. Officials issued an arrest warrant for him on Sept. 29 to charge him with murder once he was in custody.

But when the U.S. Marshals Service reached his relative's Fort Myers home, where he was staying, Wednesday, they found Tom had died by suicide, Houston police said as per NBC News.

Authorities did not publicly identify Tom as a suspect until Wednesday and his arrest warrant was not made public.

Alexis, who had more than 87,000 followers on Instagram, moved to Houston in January 2020 after marrying Tom. She was reported missing just after Thanksgiving and her body was found on the side of the road, about 17 miles west of downtown Houston, on Nov. 28, 2020. An autopsy report revealed she was strangled to death.

Investigators learned the couple was amid separation and Tom had a history of domestic violence. Though Alexis had not filed any formal domestic violence complaint against him, she told other people about her husband abusing her physically, The Hill said in a report.

Tom left the state shortly after his wife's death even though he had agreed to a DNA test. Police then said he was not truthful during his conversations with them and had been evasive. However, Tom denied the claims that he was not cooperating with the investigation, calling all the accusations "crap talk."

"I have been assisting the deputies and making phone calls to find out what happened to my wife," Tom wrote in a Facebook post as per The Hill.

Officials said the investigators went through all possible theories that came forth in connection with Alexis' death. After a lengthy investigation, detectives reportedly identified Tom as the only person with the means and motive to kill Alexis.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.