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Dulcio family says body found is Mimose; police have yet to confirm

Family awaits final word from officials who found body in wooded area
Family awaits final word from officials who found body in wooded area 01:36

MIAMI -- Miami-Dade police investigators were in Northwest Miami-Dade Wednesday afternoon, assisting detectives from the Broward Sheriff's Office after the body of a woman had been found in the area.

Police had not said if the body was that of missing Broward woman Mimose Dulcio, but said they were there on a death investigation at N.W. 55TH Ave. and 204th St.

News Chopper 4 showed investigators and crime scene trucks near a heavily wooded area. 

Family members of Dulcio tell us they believe a body found in a wooded area is their loved one.

"We did get a call that, just to let us know that they found a body," said sister Seminta Dulcio. "But they have to be able to do their procedures like DNA testing, or do dental or fingerprints for them to be able to confirm that it is her based on the evidence they have obtained." 

Still, she says, based on the location where the body was found, "we are pretty positive that it's her." 

Known as Mimi by her loved ones, Dulcio went missing last Thursday.

Her husband, Jose Pacheco has been arrested in her disappearance.

Desperate search for missing woman continues 02:17

Pacheco, 36, is facing a murder charge after detectives found evidence that "suggested" his estranged wife had been murdered.

Investigators said Tuesday that Pacheco was being held on one count of second-degree murder in a Miami-Dade County jail in connection with the slaying and disappearance of his wife, who was last seen Thursday around 5:30 p.m. at her home.

In bond court, Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer ordered that he be held without bond and gave him an Assistant Public Defender. 

The home where the couple lived is still a crime scene and BSO deputies in 2 vehicles guarded the home.

Next-door neighbor Dru Pardo told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that he was surprised by the developments. "He was really cool, a down-to-earth guy and we talked about dogs and she was awesome. I never saw them arguing. He always had a smile on his face. This is like a lie. You don't know what your neighbors are anymore."

A new arrest report says the sister said she encountered Pacheco at the home and when she asked him about her sister, they got in to a verbal altercation and he drove away. She said she believed he had anger issues and was upset that she had been on a dating website. Pacheco told detectives that they had been married for 18 months and had signed the paperwork for their divorce on November 9th. 

The sister said Dulcio told her she was uncomfortable with Pacheco living at the home but he said he was saving up money to move out. The report said detectives searched Pacheco's home and found videos of the Pacheco and Dulcio arguing and yelling at each other."

Next-door neighbor Leonarda Martinez said "I know them. I talked with them. They came over to my house. They were a young couple. Now two families are destroyed. One day I did hear him screaming. He seemed jealous. They were in the middle of divorce. I hope they find the body."

In an email, officials said Pacheco was arrested in Hialeah Monday evening.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for the couple's home and shared vehicle before they found evidence that "suggested Dulcio had been murdered in the couple's home, and that her body had been transported in the couple's shared vehicle and disposed of in an unknown location."

Relatives said the couple was going through a troubled divorce 

Her sister, Seminta Dulcio, told CBS 4 Monday that relatives grew worried when they hadn't heard from her.

'When I noticed she did not answer the phone or respond back to my wellness check message, . . .  something wasn't sitting well with me," Seminta Dulcio said.

The family went to her home in the 400 block of NW 30th Avenue near Fort Lauderdale and found a broken television, busted windows, and broken cell phones.

On Tuesday evening, the family shared with CBS4 that they were shocked by the news. They told CBS4 they truly were not prepared for today and the possibility their beloved daughter and sister, Mimose Dulcio was dead.

We're told Pacheco will be extradited to Broward County Sheriff's custody at some point.   

Anyone with information about unusual activities involving the suspect's 2018 white Dodge Charger was asked to call the Broward sheriff's office at 954-321-4246.

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