Eliana Bigoni, 34, was found dead at the Plano, Texas apartment of her estranged husband Jake Bigoni, 37, after police carried out a welfare check on 12 August. The couple, who had two young sons aged two and five, were in the process of divorcing, and Eliana had gone to the flat that morning to collect the children when she was killed. Jake was arrested after officers noticed blood on his shirt, which he initially claimed was cleaning residue; he was first charged with abuse of a corpse before a murder charge followed.

Friends described Jake as having a history of controlling and, at times, violent behaviour towards Eliana, while others who knew him growing up in Oregon recalled him as an awkward loner who struggled to form friendships. Eliana, a law graduate from Bogotá who moved to the US in 2016, had built a successful career as a property broker and had recently become a US citizen, having earlier run a pet grooming business in Nevada. The couple had lived in Minnesota and Florida before settling in Texas, and outwardly appeared to be a thriving family, but associates say the marriage had been collapsing behind closed doors.