Oklahoma couple charged after woman’s body found in basement

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) – An Oklahoma couple has been charged in the death of a 19-year-old woman whose body was found last year wrapped in plastic in the basement of a home.

Police say Margarita Sandoval had been missing for three years when police found her body in May 2021 in a box hidden underneath some stairs in a home in Norman.

After a 14-month investigation, Normal police charged Sandoval’s brother, 35-year-old Octavio Sanchez, and her sister-in-law, 27-year-old Desiree Sanchez, each with murder and unlawful removal of a dead body.

Earlier this month, the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Sandoval’s death a homicide.