Murdered wife stuffed in fridge, husband charged

Houston - Houston police have charged a 38-year-old man with murder in the stabbing death of his estranged wife, whose body was found rotting in a disabled refrigerator.

A police statement says Patrick Lambert was charged on Wednesday in the death of 27-year-old Anastacia Oaikhena Lambert.

Officers went to the woman's apartment on 8 December after maintenance workers reported a stench coming from the unit.

Officers entered the apartment and found the woman's decomposing body in the refrigerator. The apartment's power had been turned off on 20 November because utility bills went unpaid.

The Lamberts' 11-month-old son was missing. On 12 December, father and child were tracked to Mexico and taken into custody. Patrick Lambert was returned to Houston on Wednesday. The child remains in Mexico awaiting arrangements for his return.