Severed head found in man’s cellar belongs to his wife, Indiana police say

An Indiana man was charged with his wife’s murder after her severed head was discovered in a cellar, according to police and media reports.

The body of Hope Parks was found Aug. 20 on Sugar Creek Bridge in Crawfordsville, Indiana, according to The Paper of Montgomery County. Crawfordsville is located around 50 miles west of Indianapolis.

Witnesses believe the body was placed on the bridge sometime between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., the Montgomery County newspaper reported.

Her husband, Michael Parks, later showed up at the Crawfordsville police station to say Hope had been missing since Aug. 18 when she left their home in a vehicle with “an unknown person,” WISH-TV reported.

Parks, 44, gave police permission to search their home, where dried blood was discovered in numerous areas, according to the Journal Review. Her severed head was also “found buried in the cellar,” the Journal Review reported based off the affidavit.

Police discovered a .22 rifle with ammunition, and a medical examiner concluded Hope Parks was shot in the back of her head, according to WISH-TV.

The husband was formally charged with his wife’s murder Monday, the Journal Review reported.

He is being held in the Montgomery County Jail without bond, jail records show.

This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 10:03 AM with the headline "Severed head found in man’s cellar belongs to his wife, Indiana police say."