Gwendolyn Belcher identified as Tampa woman in burned car
Thursday the Hillsborough County cornor identified the burned remains in a 2000 Toyota Maxima as the missing woman from the Seffner area, Gwendolyn Belcher.
UPDATE: Investigators confirm Belcher was murdered and the case is ongoing. Check out the full story here.
Gwendolyn Belcher photo screenshot WTSP video report http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/274094/250/Missing-mother-linked-to-burned-car
The woman had been reported missing after family and friends could not reach, even on her cell phone.
Sara Savage, Belcher’s next-door neighbor told Tampabay.com that her cell phone never goes to voice mail.
“I knew something was wrong,” said Savage, 67, of Seffner. “She always answers or it at least rings a while before the machine picks up.”
That night, deputies found Belcher’s car and a burned body at Taylor and Pruett roads and now the County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed the skeletal remains belonged to Gwendolyn Belcher.
“I lost a dear friend,” Savage sobbed Thursday. “She was as good to me as a good daughter would have been to her own mother. She took care of me. And I lost my best friend.”
The sheriff’s report details that deputies learned that Christopher Belcher, her husband, had returned home on the night of September 15, 2012 after attending a birthday party. Once at home, he then got into a verbal confrontation with his wife (Gwendolyn Belcher). The verbal confrontation turned physical when the defendant, Christopher Belcher struck the victim with an open hand to her face. Deputies took Christopher Belcher into custody charging him with Domestic Violence.
TB.com added that her nickname was “Tissy,” she had three children, two adult daughters and a son in his teens, as detailed by Savage.
Thomas Hill, Belcher’s brother was also quoted, saying his sister was king. “Gwen was a wonderful person,” he said.
Christopher Belcher 2005 mugshot photo Hillsborough County Sheriff
[…] Belcher, his wife and a mother of three, was found dead in her burnt out car on September 17, just a day after having a fight with her husband. Family members and friends […]
[…] Seffner woman’s burnt remains were found inside of her car late September and investigators claim they can now move forward with a more formal homicide investigation. photo […]