North Carolina man wanted for wife's murder caught in Arizona, officials say
NASHVILLE, North Carolina -- Rexford Lynn Keel Jr., the North Carolina man wanted in the murder of his wife Diana, has been caught in Arizona after a multi-day search, an official in the Nash County Sheriff's Office said.
Officials say 57-year-old Keel was captured just outside of Tucson and 34 miles from the Mexico border.
Arizona State Police made the arrest during a traffic stop on Interstate 10 near Tucson without incident.
Officials said Keel had a large sum of money. According to officials, Keel left the state before a warrant came down for his arrest.
Keel is in the Pima County Jail awaiting extradition back to North Carolina. He is facing a first-degree murder charge.
The sheriff told ABC11 he is going to talk to the district attorney about opening up the case regarding Keel's previous wife's death.
Lynn is accused of killing his wife, Diana Alejandra Keel.
Diana was first reported missing by her daughter on March 7. Her husband told investigators he'd last seen her leaving their Nashville home with some friends on Friday, March 8.
On March 12, deputies found Diana's body in the woods outside of Leggett, more than 20 miles away from her home.
Lynn was questioned by police that day but was later released.
Diana's family said her marriage was not working out. Her mother said she had even planned to divorce her husband, but he'd threatened her.
Diana is not the first spouse of Lynn Keel to have died.
Lynn's previous wife, Elizabeth Bess Edwards Keel, died in their home in January 2006.
Elizabeth died from blunt force trauma to the head, but the medical examiner ruled her death accidental.
Elizabeth reportedly fell and hit her head on the corner of the concrete steps in the front of their house.
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