Authorities revealed Friday that a Long Island mother of four who went missing about three weeks ago was brutally stabbed 20 times by her husband after he discovered she was having an affair.
A cadaver dog discovered Melissa Molinari’s corpse, wrapped in plastic, in Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest on Thursday.
In previous conversations with the suspect, he allegedly informed police that they were “having marital troubles over claims of infidelity” and were considering divorce, according to Beyrer.
Beyrer provided a timeline of the police inquiry, which began as a missing person investigation.
Melissa was last seen on November 21 at her home in Centereach, New York, although she wasn’t reported missing until December 2 by a friend. Her 2014 Chrysler minivan was parked in front of her house.
Marcello allegedly told cops that Melissa had stormed out Nov. 22 after an argument and returned the next day with an unknown male. She packed a bag and got into an unfamiliar vehicle.
He claimed that on Thanksgiving Melissa called him and told him to cook dinner. Family and friends reported that they had been unable to reach her since she was last seen, police said.
Marcello gave cops permission to search his wife’s minivan, and on Dec. 8, investigators parked it in a lot with other cars. A cadaver dog immediately zeroed in on the minivan, even though his handlers had not been told it was the target. Blood was found in the back passenger seat. Police executed a search warrant at the house and also found blood in the basement, Beyrer said.
GPS data placed Marcello near where the body was found on Nov. 23 and Dec. 3, police said.
The couple has four children under the age of 17, and Marcello has one child from a previous relationship.
“This is a tragic case,” Beyrer said. “There are five kids. All the lives that were destroyed in this. It’s just a terrible story.”
Marcello’s attorney, Christopher Gioe, whose client works in IT, said he cooperated completely with police, providing access to his phone and both family cars.
“It’s a very circumstantial case,” Gioe told Fox News. “My client maintains his innocence. He was shocked he was charged with murder.”