Man accused of faking wife’s disappearance and burying her body in house crawl space

Suspect allegedly killed his wife by duct tapping a plastic bag over her head

The man allegedly killed wife Maria Fury through asphyxiation (Facebook)

A man has been charged with murder after allegedly killing his wife, faking her disappearance and then burying her body in the crawl space of their Minnesota home, prosecutors said.

Joshua Fury, 28, of Maple Groove was charged on Tuesday with second-degree murder after the body of his wife, Maria Fury, was found in their home.

Ms Fury was preparing to leave her husband at the time of her death, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Star Tribune.

"He said he strangled her during an argument about the victim leaving him," court documents read.

After she went missing, a search was launched by police that included K9 dogs and helicopters. Then one police dog detected human remains in the crawl space of the home.

Mr Fury first reported his wife was missing on 30 April, claiming she went for a walk and never returned. This launched a search along the path she would've taken before police turned their investigation to the home.

Officers exhumed her body from the dirt floor in the crawl space by using a bucket system on Saturday, the complaint read.

A full autopsy on her body has yet to be performed, but it is believed she died of asphyxiation after duct tape was placed over her mouth and nose and a plastic bag was put over her head. These items were still on her when the body was found.

After his arrest, Mr Fury allegedly admitted to "squeezing her neck and placing bags over her face to stop her breathing", according to the newspaper. He also allegedly confessed to burying her and said he suffered from depression.

Ms Fury's parents released a statement on Tuesday following the news of their son-in-law's arrest.

"Maria was so much more," the statement read. "She was our daughter, our niece, our cousin, our friend; she loved her family and was fiercely loyal. A happy, strong, resilient, supportive, and caring individual, Maria did so much in her 28 years. But she also left behind hopes and dreams, and she left undone infinite possibilities."

Mr Fury was expected to appear in court for the first time on Wednesday, and prosecutors are said to be requesting $2m bail.