Karlan Denio has been charged with murder in the death of his wife.
A New Mexico man with dementia allegedly killed, dismembered and disemboweled his wife hours before out-of-town family arrived at their home to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Relatives of Karlan and Connie Denio had to take the hinges off a door to enter the couple’s Albuquerque home Thursday afternoon when no one answered, and then made the horrifying discovery.
Karlan Denio, 62, was found lying in bed, while cops said his wife, Connie, was discovered “dismembered and disemboweled” on the bedroom floor, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Connie had arranged for relatives to arrive around 1 p.m. that day to celebrate Thanksgiving after discussing the plans in detail in a family group chat the evening before.
But when the kin arrived that afternoon, they couldn’t get in the home.
Karlan’s brother, who is from out-of-town, and his sister contacted police to request a welfare check after knocks on the door went unanswered. The dispatcher told them police could not force their way in, prompting the family to find their own entrance.
The siblings knocked on all doors and windows and eventually removed the hinges from an entrance to get inside.
Shortly after the relatives entered the home, a second 911 call was made to report that Karlan had allegedly killed his wife.
Police who arrived at the grisly scene found Connie “dismembered and disemboweled,” authorities said. They detained Karlan and found he had cuts on his leg and neck, officials said.
Karlan’s sister told police that the home had been dark when the siblings entered and found their brother “lying on the bed” with his wife on the floor.
Rick Cordova, who has lived next to the Denios for two decades, described the couple as “nice folks” and said they were the kind of people he would “least expect” to experience such an event.
Denio has been charged with murder in the death of his wife. He is currently in the hospital recovering from lacerations to his arm and neck, police said.
