NORTH ADAMS, Mass. (AP) – The disappearance of a Massachusetts woman in early March is considered a homicide, and her husband, who has since died in an apparent suicide, is the “sole suspect,” a prosecutor said Friday.
Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless disclosed for the first time publicly that Charles Reidy, 42, is the only suspect in the presumed death of Joanne Ringer, 39.
“From the beginning, we suspected foul play and have approached this as a homicide investigation,” he said.
Capeless did not disclose a possible motive or what led to Reidy as a suspect.
In a related development, Reidy’s ex-girlfriend was arraigned Friday on obstruction of justice charges for allegedly misleading police investigating Ringer’s disappearance. She was held on $1,500 bail.
Ringer has been missing since March 2 when she failed to show up for her first shift as a taxi driver in Easthampton. Her car was found abandoned there on March 6.
Reidy, who reported his wife missing March 4, spoke openly about her disappearance, telling a local newspaper he was worried about her.
He was found dead April 7 in the garage of the couple’s home in Clarksburg, a rural town of about 1,700 residents in western Massachusetts on the border with Vermont. Authorities did not disclose the manner of death, but said it appeared to be a suicide.
The couple married in December. Friends and relatives said they had tumultuous relationship.
Authorities have searched the Clarksburg and Easthampton areas for Ringer with no success, Capeless said.
“We have kept hope that Joanne Ringer would be found alive,” Capeless said. “But seven weeks have passed since her disappearance and she has made no contact with family or friends.”
He asked anyone who thinks they may have seen Reidy or Ringer or their vehicles around the time she disappeared to contact law enforcement.
With turkey season opening Monday, Capeless also asked hunters to report anything suspicious.
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