Florida bodybuilder and ex-Marine Ian Baunach has been charged with murdering his missing ex-wife, Katie Baunach, in Hendry County, Florida, after detectives discovered her remains in a burn pile in his backyard, court documents revealed.
Ian Christopher Baunach, 43, was charged in connection with the death of Katie Samantha Baunach, 39, who was last seen Sept. 29, according to a report filed by Hendry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit.
Katie had filed a restraining order against Ian to the sheriff’s office, saying he physically abused one of her children, according to a local news report.
A friend of Katie’s called Hendry County Sheriff Steven Whidden after she was concerned about Katie’s safety. The night before, Katie left her two children in her care to retrieve personal items from Ian’s home in Fort Denaud.
When deputies arrived at the house, they could not reach either party but found Katie’s car with her purse in her vehicle. Detectives then obtained a search warrant and found evidence that a homicide had occurred there, according to the report. They also located her wedding band and engagement ring in Ian’s safe which she was wearing before she went missing.
After a four-day search detectives found Katie’s remains in the backyard section of the property. Authorities discovered a blue 50-gallon barrel, which “reeked of decaying flesh,” They also found additional human bone fragments, a tooth, and remains in a burn pile, said the report.
Ian Baunach was also charged with illegally owning 13 unregistered silencers, an AR-15 upper receiver, two Glock Model 27 .40 caliber pistols, three rifles, and a shotgun. Detectives charged him with 12 counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance after discovering steroids inside his home.
Ian Baunach is charged with first-degree pre-meditated murder, destruction/concealing of physical evidence, use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, cremating a dead body, and failure to report a death to the medical examiner. He is currently being held without bond and his attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to NBC.
