The sacred institution of marriage is a pact between two people whose love is so great they have decided to devote the rest of their lives to one another. That’s the idea at least. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, many marriages don’t work out that way. After a period of time together, some spouses discover that they are incompatible. Their personalities just don’t align they way they thought they would and it isn’t feasible for them to remain together. Sometimes couples will separate for a time, adjust themselves and their needs, and get back together, having a happy marriage once again. Other times, a divorce is necessary to end the marriage and allow the incompatible pair to go their own ways. Sadly, some incompatible people decide to stay together, refusing to give up on the time and effort they’ve invested in the marriage. This often leads to major resentment between the spouses, and perhaps even looking for companionship outside the marriage, in order to fill the void. Eventually, one or both spouses will have to decide to leave the marriage, hopefully in the standard, legal fashion. However, as with any situation in which emotions run high, someone is bound to take a drastic step.
This article appeared in the January/February issue of OFFICER Magazine. Click Here to view the digital edition. Click Here to subscribe to OFFICER Magazine.
On May 5, 2004, two men were fishing in the Chesapeake Bay, off the Virginia coast when they came upon a Kenneth Cole suitcase floating. After retrieving the suitcase, the men opened it and found a pair of severed human legs. Police became involved immediately, and began working to identify whom the legs belonged to, and of course, where the rest of their body was. Nearly a week later, a second Kenneth Cole suitcase was found washed up on the Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge in Cape Charles, Virginia. As a college student picked up litter from the shore, she came across the suitcase and opened it to discover a severed head and torso. It didn’t take long for law enforcement to connect the dots and begin putting the pieces together, so to speak. Finally, on May 16, the arms missing from the rest of the body were found, also in a Kenneth Cole suitcase, floating in the same area the first suitcase was recovered. Now with all the parts of the body recovered, the medical examiner’s office in Norfolk, Virginia, was able to conduct an examination of the body. While they were not able to immediately identify the remains, the medical examiner found the body parts had been wrapped in garbage bags before being placed in the matching suitcase set. Additionally, the head was wrapped in a blanket with a medical supply company’s label. They also found two bullet wounds in the torso, and a third in the head. Using the recovered body, police were able to create a sketch of the John Doe and released it to the media in hopes that someone would come forward with the man’s identity.
On May 21, Sue and John Rice were watching television in their New Jersey home, when a news report came on asking the public to identify a sketch of a man who had been found dismembered in Virginia. Sue recognized the sketch immediately as her husband’s friend William “Bill” McGuire, but John wasn’t quite convinced. However, John recalled a phone call from Bill’s sister, asking if the Rice’s had seen Bill recently. According to Bill’s wife, Melanie, she and Bill had an argument, and Bill left the home, promising he wouldn’t be back. Concerned his friend really was missing and had been found dead, John Rice made the call to Virginia Beach Police Department. He and Sue were asked to meet with detectives and attempt to identify the body through photos, which they did. Detectives were able to locate Bill’s fingerprints from a 1980s arrest and compare them to the fingerprints of the suitcase John Doe. There was no doubt the body was that of 39-year-old Bill McGuire, and he was the victim of murder.
Bill’s identification led detectives to his home in Woodridge, New Jersey. There, officers had to notify Melanie McGuire of the death of her husband. With the awful news delivered, the focus shifted to what Melanie could tell detectives about Bill that might help them figure out how he met his grisly end. Melanie explained that Bill had become angry and violent with her on April 28, and after the argument he drove away in his car, angrily threatening to never come back. Melanie stated she had not seen or heard from Bill since he left that day. Detectives noted Melanie never asked about the circumstances of of Bill’s death or the recovery of his body, something most grieving widow’s would want to know. Melanie was asked to meet with detectives for a formal interview. In the interview Melanie suggested detectives look for Bill’s car in Atlantic City, where Bill would frequently take spontaneous gambling trips. Detectives asked Melanie what sort of luggage she and Bill owned, to which she retorted they did not have any “matching” luggage. At that point the details of the matching suitcases had not been released to the public.
Melanie would later recollect she and Bill did own a matching set of luggage; a three piece Kenneth Cole suitcase set. Melanie had also decided to divorce Bill after the April 28 argument and had even filed for a restraining order the next day. She also stated her divorce lawyer had advised her not to report Bill missing, despite him being gone for nearly a month by the time she was notified of his death. Everyone handles grief in their own way, but there was something odd about the way Melanie was coping with this terrible news. Her demeanor, however, was far from the only thing odd about this investigation.
Check next month’s issue for the conclusion of the investigation into the death of Bill McGuire.
About the Author
Brendan Rodela is a Deputy for the Lincoln County (NM) Sheriff’s Office. He holds a degree in Criminal Justice and is a certified instructor with specialized training in Domestic Violence and Interactions with Persons with Mental Illustration: Kermit Mulkins © Endeavor Business Media Impairments.
This article appeared in the January/February issue of OFFICER Magazine.
