A young woman was found decapitated Wednesday afternoon inside a small home in a rural area of Waller County, Texas, and her husband of just over three months has confessed to killing her, police said. Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry said sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home about 4:18 p.m. Wednesday after reports of a dead woman.
Authorities identified the woman as 21-year-old Anggy Diaz. Her husband, 21-year-old Jared Dicus, has been charged with her murder, according to a news release from the Waller County Sheriff’s Office.
Guidry said the woman's body was reportedly found at the scene but her head was not.
Upon arriving at the scene, authorities discovered Diaz’s body inside a small cottage behind a main residence they later learned belongs to Dicus’ parents.
“It was a portion of a body, dismembered, and a residence that was covered in blood — a gruesome scene, at best,” he said at a news conference on Thursday.
Guidry confirmed a kitchen knife was used as the murder weapon in the killing of Diaz. When asked if there were past disputes in the home, the sheriff said there were prior disturbances but “nothing to this effect or level of violence.”
Dicus' parents called 911 after discovering the young woman's body inside the home.
The 21-year-old was detained without incident and confessed to murdering his wife after authorities questioned him and his parents. A motive remains unclear, and the case is still being investigated.
During the news conference, Guidry said the senseless killing would ultimately affect both families. “That’s the world we live in today. It’s a gruesome scene,” he said, according to KHOU. “Both sides of these families will be altered by it.”
Surveillance footage captured Dicus at his wife's job hours before she was found dead.
Dicus was seen pulling into the store’s parking lot around 11:40 a.m., getting out of the vehicle, and walking inside. He grabbed a beer and left the establishment without paying, per KHOU 11.
The video also showed Dicus taking a sip of the alcoholic beverage before hopping back in the car and driving away.
Several of Diaz's friends have shared details about their beloved friend.
The victim’s friends told KHOU 11 that she was originally from Nicaragua and had been working two jobs to help pay for her mom’s cancer treatments back home.
Diaz worked at a local store, and her employers described her as someone who always kept a smile on her face, according to KHOU 11. She and Dicus had just wed sometime in October 2022 after the two met at her job.
Even though her friends knew something was off between the pair, they never suspected she would end up dead.
“She was happy, very happy with her husband,” Diaz’s boss, Veronica Jimenez, said in a statement obtained by the news outlet. “But there were days when she was different. She was tired but I wasn’t sure if she was tired because of her job or because of her relationship.”
A close friend has created a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Diaz’s funeral expenses. “[Diaz] was the light to our family and community. Always with a smile, and cheerful personality,” Irvin Orellana wrote on the page. “The absence of her from our lives will be felt forever.” So far, more than $20,000 has been raised.
