CLEVELAND — The body of a missing Cuyahoga Falls woman was found near the border of Stow and Kent late Tuesday morning, and her husband has now been charged with her murder.
Police confirm the remains of Chandra Maya Poudel-Rimal, 33, were located around 11 a.m. in a wooded area off of Middlebury Road near the Summit Metro Parks Freedom Trail. The Summit County Medical Examiner's Officer immediately referred to her death as "suspicious" but provided no further information at the time.
Poudel-Rimal was originally reported missing last Wednesday morning, when her husband James told authorities she was not at their Cuyahoga Falls home when he woke up at 9 a.m. that day. Rimal did not provide information on his wife's whereabouts, per officials, and a search ensued.
After Kent police located Poudel-Rimal's body, law enforcement issued a warrant for James Rimal's arrest. Rimal was hospitalized with an undisclosed ailment at the time, but 3News learned on Wednesday afternoon that he is now being held at the Summit County Jail and is expected to be arraigned on Thursday morning.
Court documents obtained by WKYC stated Rimal allegedly "did cause death" by "strangulation after an argument at their residence." The documents also allege he "transported her body to a wooded area and left it hidden in the wooded area."
Neighbors in Cuyahoga Falls told 3News while they didn't know the couple well, they recognized their three children, who would often play in the neighborhood's cul-de-sac. Dil Rimal, who says he is the uncle of James Rimal, told 3News on Wednesday that the news of Poudel-Rimal's death came as a shock.
"She is a beloved mom of three kids," Dil Rimal said. "She was respectful to the family members. She was smiling all the time."
Cuyahoga Falls police tell us the children "were not harmed and are safe." Additionally, the department says they have been in communication with Summit County Children Services, and they believe the children were placed with family members.
Dil Rimal says on Feb. 21, when Poudel-Rimal was reported missing, he was the one who told James he needed to go to the police. He claimed when he asked his nephew questions like whether or not his wife took an ID or car with her and what she was wearing, he received responses of "No" or "I'm not sure." It was then that he became suspicious.
Dil Rimal wants justice for Chandra, saying whoever is responsible should be punished in the eyes of the law. James Rimal faces the following charges:
- Murder
- Strangulation
- Tampering with evidence
- Domestic violence
- Making false alarms
- Abuse of a corpse
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3News learned on Wednesday afternoon that Rimal is being held at the Summit County Jail and is expected to be arraigned on Thursday morning.