An active-duty soldier based in Alaska remains in custody Monday after being charged in the death of his wife, whose body was found after a dayslong search in Anchorage.

Army Spec. Zarrius Hildabrand, 21, was arrested Friday and charged with murder and evidence tampering after the body of his wife, Sara Hildabrand, was discovered.

According to media reports, Spec. Hildabrand told police he last saw her around 10 a.m. on Aug. 6, when she left their apartment for work. 

He reported her missing the next day, Anchorage police said.

Police found Sara Hildabrand’s body Thursday in a “concealed location” along a trail near the couple’s apartment complex.

Spec. Hildabrand is an artillery soldier assigned to the Army’s 11th Airborne Division at Anchorage’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. His wife was a medic in the Alaska Army National Guard.

A nearby resident told police he heard a gunshot about 2:45 a.m. on the day the victim was last seen.

Police searched the couple’s apartment after Mrs. Hildabrand was reported missing. They noted that the only bed in the home didn’t have sheets and was covered only by a mattress pad.

Spec. Hildabrand refused to let detectives look under the mattress, Alaska Public Media, the local NPR affiliate, reported, citing court documents.

Police later obtained a warrant and made a detailed search of the apartment.

“They described the mattress as being saturated by human blood,” Alaska Public Media reported. “There was so much blood on the mattress that the blood soaked through onto the carpet and into the wood frame.”

According to court documents, Spec. Hildabrand made several purchases around the time his wife was reported missing, including bed sheets, hydrogen peroxide, an empty spray bottle and a 96-gallon trash can with wheels, according to media reports.

Spec. Hildabrand is being held, with bail set at $500,000.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.