Florida man facing murder charge after estranged wife’s disappearance, deputies say

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Broward County man was arrested Monday evening in connection with the disappearance and murder of his estranged wife, authorities told NBC affiliate WTVJ.

Deputies said 36-year-old Jose Luis Pacheco is facing a murder charge after his 39-year-old wife, Mimose Dulcio, was reported missing.

WTVJ reported that Dulcio was last seen Thursday evening at her home in unincorporated central Broward, and a missing person alert was issued for her on Saturday.

Pacheco told detectives that he had not seen or heard from Dulcio in a couple of days and that they were in the process of getting a divorce, authorities told WTVJ.

During a search of the couple’s home, investigators said they found evidence that suggested Dulcio had been murdered in the home. They believed her body had been taken to an unknown location in the couple’s shared vehicle.

Dulcio’s family told WTVJ that they last spoke with her on Thursday afternoon. Her sister told the news station that she called Dulcio several times early Friday but Dulcio didn’t answer or return her calls. She said she went to Dulcio’s home to check on her.

“I bust through her door, she’s not in there. We looked around, we just can’t find Mimose,” Seminta Dulcio said told the news station.

The family said some of Dulcio’s belongings were also missing. They told the news station that they saw specks of blood and cracks on the TV.

“Two of her phones, they were broken, bent and they’re shattered, and that’s not like her to leave any of her devices because of what she’s currently going through,” Seminta Dulcio said.

The family told WTVJ that the couple was going through a messy divorce. They said the last person to see her was her Pacheco and that the couple was living in different rooms of the house as Dulcio filed for divorce.

WTVJ reported that Dulcio had been working for the City of Fort Lauderdale since 2019. She has been an administrative assistant in the Development Services Department.

According to WTVJ, Pacheco is being held on an out-of-county warrant in the Miami-Dade Jail.