US Soldier Who Helped Search for Missing Wife Is Charged with Her Murder

The Anchorage Police Department announced Friday that a grand jury returned an indictment against Zarrius Hildabrand and charged him with first-degree murder

Liam Quinn is a crime reporter for People Magazine. He previously covered breaking news for The Record/NorthJersey.com.

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The United States Army soldier accused of murdering his wife in Alaska was out celebrating his 21st birthday with her before she was killed, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.

The Anchorage Police Department announced Friday that a grand jury returned an indictment against Zarrius Hildabrand, charging him with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, 21-year-old Saria Barney Hildabrand, who he initially reported missing on Aug. 7.

According to the complaint, the couple and friends were celebrating Zarrius' birthday on Aug. 5 and returned home during the early morning hours of Aug. 6. Police found Saria Hildabrand’s body in a storm drain with a gunshot wound to the left side of her head on August 10, the complaint states, and Zarrius' was arrested in connection with her death.

Zarrius, 21, had posted a missing person flier on his Facebook days earlier with information about his wife.

“Updated information on my missing wife PLEASE SHARE AND REPOST!!!!!!” the Army cannon crew member wrote on Facebook before his arrest.

Authorities said in the complaint that Zarrius told investigators that his wife walked to work at a sandwich shop at around 10 a.m. on Aug. 6, but left her phone at home. When he went to pick her up that evening, she wasn’t there and that he had been searching for her ever since.

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However, authorities said Zarrius’ account did not line up with the account of Saria’s co-workers, who, according to the complaint, said she never showed up at work that morning.

According to the complaint, police also claim Zarrius bought bed sheets, a mattress cover, hydrogen peroxide and a spray bottle — among other items — on August 6.

Once authorities obtained a search warrant, they found that the couple’s mattress had been “saturated” by "human blood," according to the complaint. A blood reagent spray was also used in the home and showed latent blood "all over the bathtub and some of the floors," the complaint reads.

According to court records, Zarrius is currently represented by the Alaska Public Defender Agency. No one could immediately be reached for comment.

Saria was a member of the Alaska Army National Guard. According to a Facebook post from her family, her remains were returned to her native Utah on Aug. 18 and were met with an Army honor guard.

"We are grateful to the Army for the beautiful show of support today, and every day since she was reported missing on August 7th," the post read.

Saria’s funeral is scheduled for Aug. 25 at 10 a.m. in Mount Pleasant, Utah.