A California man has been arrested after authorities discovered the suspected remains of his wife, who has been missing since July.
According to the Sacramento Bee, police on Friday arrested Anthony Gumina, 44, in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Heather Gumina, 33.
Deputies served him a “no bail warrant for domestic violence,” according to a social media post from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
A subsequent search in the Pleasant Valley area of the county reportedly turned up human remains, prompting the sheriff’s office to launch a homicide investigation. Authorities have not yet said precisely how and where the remains were found.
Heather Gumina was reported missing July 19. As CrimeOnline previously reported, investigators found her black 2005 Infiniti G35 weeks later in El Dorado County, between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, and had been processing the vehicle for evidence.
The DailyMail reported in August that Anthony Gumina was being prosecuted for domestic violence after he allegedly head-butted Heather earlier this year. Other accusations against him include using methamphetamines and opiates during the fight and attempting to prevent Heather from seeking help.
After her disappearance, Anthony Gumina sought a restraining order against Heather, alleging that she had punched him in his face and “tried to tip a wheelbarrow full of sand on my legs.”
Anthony Gumina told the DailyMail last month that he had nothing to do with his wife going missing and had been praying for her return.
“Look, this marriage is not going to work out but I would never do anything like this [harming her]. I’m a lover. I’m not that kind of guy,” Gumina said in August. “The sheriff’s [deputies] were here for like 30 hours doing an investigation. They took my car. They walked every piece of land so I’m cleaning up again and again and again and I’m dealing with my wife. I don’t deserve this.”
Heather has three children who range in age from 4 years old to 14. Her mother, Joanna Russel, told KTXL-TV that the family had feared she was dead, and that getting the news was not easy.
Shortly before she disappeared, Heather had been hospitalized after breaking her collarbone and had cried about the amount of pain she was in, according to Russel.
Still, Russel said she would never leave her children willingly.
“Every minute of the day I feel like dying inside,” Russell previously told KTXL-TV. “I do, I feel like dying because I didn’t protect her. I didn’t protect her.”
Anthony Gumina is being held in the El Dorado County Jail.
To report information about the case, call 530-621-6600.
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