The remains of a woman from Rhode Island were found more than two years after she vanished, and the guy accused of killing her was apprehended.

Mark Perkins, 64, was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the finding of the skeletal remains of 44-year-old Charlotte Lester, which were found on November 17 and identified using dental data.

The Warwick Police Department claims that although they had been keeping an eye on Perkins from the start, they lacked the proof needed to make an arrest.

Police proof of Perkins’ actions in the days after Lester’s disappearance on May 16, 2022, when her landlord reported her missing, was documented in court documents that Providence NBC affiliate WJAR was able to obtain.

The records state that a witness at a convenience shop observed Perkins with bite marks on his arm, scratches, and blood on his hands.

Perkins is accused of telling the witness that he had the blowout of the century with his lover, Lester, and that his house was a blood bath. In addition, he said to the witness, “I believe I killed her,” which the witness told the authorities.

On May 20, a few days later, Perkins was interrogated by police. They said that in spite of his swollen hands, he seemed composed and unconcerned about Lester’s absence.

According to CBS affiliate WPRI, he reportedly informed authorities that she had stopped contacting him and that he had no idea where she was.

According to reports, when Warwick police investigated Perkins’ house, they discovered blood splatters on the walls, ceiling, door, and bedframe. They also discovered an apparently bloodstained clothing hanging over a bottle of bleach on a clothesline in the basement.

Because the blood matched Lester’s mother’s DNA, it was later tested and found to match both Perkins and, most likely, Lester.

According to the court filings, on May 16, 2022, the last time anyone saw Lester alive, Perkins followed her as she drove to another man’s house. That evening, Perkins allegedly texted Lester to ask her to come home from the other man’s place.

Video evidence allegedly showed Perkins leaving his house in his truck on May 18, the day after his claimed bloodied and scratched appearance at the convenience shop, with an object in the back that had disappeared by the time he returned three hours later.

It was only after finding Lester’s skull that investigators were able to make the required connection. When police began investigating Perkins truck s GPS tracking data, they discovered that he visited the area where the skull was discovered four times in four months twice in July and twice in October 2022.

Lester’s remains were purportedly located within 1,000 feet of Perkins’ truck stop on one of those excursions, according to GPS data.

In August 2022, Perkins faced an entirely unrelated arrest for allegedly threatening a local radio personality with his lawn mower following a confrontation about Lester s disappearance.

Perkins was charged with first-degree murder and arraigned by Kent County District Court. Perkins has not entered a plea and is still being held.

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