Man indicted on murder charge in case of vanished wife

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A grand jury in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has indicted a man on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of his Belgian wife, who disappeared eight years ago.

News outlets report 43-year-old Oscar Alberto Lozada was indicted on the charge Thursday. Authorities say Lozada was arrested in Mexico last year following a years-long search that spanned three countries.

Sylviane Lozada was last heard from on July 5, 2011. Her husband of six years fled to Venezuela with the couple’s then-4-year-old daughter, Angelina, the next day. Her body hasn’t been found, though authorities found the couple’s garage splattered with her blood.

Authorities say he has confessed to killing his wife, who he had a history of abusing. Lozada’s attorney says he’s unfamiliar with the indictment and can’t comment on it.