A Madison County man is facing a murder charge after a months-long investigation into his wife’s death, which he initially told police was a suicide.
The Madison County Sheriff’s office filed the charge on March 4 against Kyle Long, 35, in connection with the Oct. 23 death of his wife, 32-year-old Rachel Long.
According to court records, Kyle Long initially called police to the couple’s home on the 2100 block of State Route 187 near London and told police his wife stabbed herself.
Police found Rachel Long in the home’s master bathroom with multiple stab wounds. She died at the scene from her injuries.
Court records say Kyle Long told detectives Rachel Long had come home from work and gone into the bathroom while he worked at a desk in the master bedroom. He said he heard his wife “laughing followed by screaming” and looked into the bathroom where he saw his wife stabbing herself with a knife.
During his initial interview with police, Long said his wife had expressed that she wanted to separate, court records say. The couple had been married for about 10 years.
An autopsy found Rachel Long had at least 17 stab wounds, some of which appeared to be defensive injuries and others that directly contradicted Kyle Long’s statement about what happened.
Court records say a second interview with Kyle Long resulted in him giving other statements that contradicted his first interview and evidence collected by investigators that was “indicative of a struggle.” Detectives determined that Kyle Long could not have seen into the bathroom from where he said he was working, based on the layout of the rooms, court records say.
Additionally, court records say Long’s phone records show he called 911 and hung up four minutes before calling back a second time.
“At no time did Kyle disclose that he called 911 and hung up,” court records say.
Evidence from Rachel Long’s phone shows she had been texting a friend about going to a concert the following night, with her last message being sent about four minutes before the first, disconnected 911 call.
Kyle Long is currently being held in the Madison County jail and will have his first appearance on March 6 in Madison County Municipal Court.
Rachel Long is survived by the couple’s two daughters. She owned and operated Pawfect Pups Grooming and Boarding in London and was an involved advocate in animal rescue.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Madison County man charged in wife’s stabbing he said was suicide
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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