A Lutheran priest in Denmark has been accused of killing his missing wife after incriminating internet searches for “sea depth,” “disappeared” and “oil barrels” were discovered on the couple’s computer, prosecutors said on Monday.
Thomas Gotthard, 44, was charged with murdering his wife, Maria From Jakobsen, after the court found the evidence to be “sufficiently weighty to be able to prosecute,” Prosecutor Anne-Mette Seerup said.
Gotthard has claimed that his wife, a 43-year-old psychologist, was in a depressed state when she vanished from the couple’s home in Frederikssund on October 26.
She had left her phone, computer and credit cards behind, police said. When she didn’t show up to one of her two kids’ birthday party three days later, her sister reported her missing.
Investigators later found hydrochloric acid and caustic soda in the couple’s home as well as internet searches on their computer for terms such as “sea depth,” “oil barrels,” “suicide,” “disappeared” and “cleaning.”
Surveillance footage from November 6 at a recycling station showed Gotthard moving a large barrel on a hand truck.
Investigators carried out extensive searches, including with trained dogs, but have been unable to locate the missing woman.
Three weeks after his wife’s disappearance, the priest was arrested in connection to the case.
Gotthard, who maintains his innocence, is being held in custody and is set to go on trial October 25.
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