Missing Missouri woman's remains found; husband charged
SUNSET HILLS, Mo. -- A suburban St. Louis man has been charged in the death of his wife who had been missing since June, before her remains were found in a remote part of Missouri.
Fifty-eight-year-old John McLaughlin was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday and is being held in lieu of $2 million cash-only bail in the death of 57-year-old Linda McLaughlin. Her vehicle was found in south St. Louis several days after she went missing.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said Linda McLaughlin's remains were found Tuesday in a shallow grave at an undisclosed "remote and secluded part of the state of Missouri."
McCulloch said authorities are not sure where the killing occurred and the cause of death has not been determined.
Scott Rosenblum, the lawyer for John McLaughlin, said Wednesday that he believes the case is very defensible.