Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood details the investigation that led to a first-degree murder charge against Epifanio Gaminde in the disappearance of his wife, Maria. (Volusia Sheriff's Office via Facebook)
Husband arrested in wife's disappearance after family kept getting mystery texts
by Greg Wehner · Fox NewsNEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Florida man accused of murdering his missing wife allegedly sent her identification and credit cards to a relative in the Philippines as part of an elaborate effort to make it appear she was alive and living overseas, authorities said.
Epifanio IX Ramos Gaminde was indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the disappearance of his wife, Maria Gaminde, whose family has had no confirmed contact with her since January 2024.
Her body has not been found, but investigators searched the couple's DeBary, Florida, property Tuesday after a neighbor reported seeing Gaminde doing extensive work behind the home around the time his wife disappeared.
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Maria's family reported her missing in January 2024 after losing contact with her. By July of that year, relatives were raising concerns with investigators about text messages, emails and credit-card activity that purportedly came from Maria overseas.
"The family starts to contact us and say, 'Hey, something's not right. These text messages and emails that we're getting, the spending on her credit cards, too. Something's not right,'" Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said during a news conference Tuesday.
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Gaminde told investigators the couple was having marital problems and claimed his wife had left for either the Philippines or Japan.
Detectives examined digital and forensic evidence and interviewed neighbors as the investigation increasingly focused on Gaminde. Investigators also learned he had previously been arrested twice for domestic violence, Chitwood said.
The investigation eventually stretched overseas, with the FBI helping Volusia County investigators and prosecutors navigate international legal issues before a detective and prosecutor traveled to the Philippines to interview Gaminde's niece.
"She gives up everything," Chitwood said. "She even gives us more information that the FBI has to work with international partners to recover digital evidence from when it occurred."
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Gaminde allegedly emailed his niece Maria's important documents, including her driver's license and credit cards, and instructed her what to do with them, the sheriff said. Investigators believe the activity was intended to create the appearance that Maria was alive and avoiding contact with her family, friends and law enforcement.
Authorities traced Maria's last known activity to December 2023. Investigators determined Maria and her children visited Disney World's Magic Kingdom on Dec. 16 after confirming their fingerprints were used to enter the park.
Four days later, Gaminde allegedly sent his wife a text asking where she was. Communications from Maria then stopped before messages purportedly from her began coming from overseas.
Despite those communications and the apparent activity on Maria's accounts, investigators found no evidence that she was still alive.
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"There's no financial trail. There's nothing that would indicate that Maria is alive," Chitwood said.
During Tuesday's search of the couple's property, investigators focused on an area behind the home where concrete appeared to have been added. Chitwood cautioned that investigators did not know whether the search would lead them to Maria's remains.
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"We may get lucky, we may not get lucky," Chitwood said.
Prosecutors said they are prepared to pursue the first-degree murder case even if Maria's body is never recovered.
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R.J. Larizza, state attorney for Florida's 7th Judicial Circuit, said the outcome of Tuesday's search would not change the state's plans to prosecute Gaminde.
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"We're fully prepared to move forward without the body," Larizza said. "And I have complete and total confidence in our ability to prosecute this case."
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Gaminde was already in custody after being stopped for allegedly driving without a license when the grand jury returned the murder indictment. He is being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail and also faces an immigration detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Gaminde and Maria came to the United States together around 2008 and have three young sons, the sheriff said. The children were with their father when he was taken into custody and have since been reunited with Maria's family.
Chitwood said the children had been denied contact with their mother's side of the family.
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Gaminde has been interviewed repeatedly during the investigation, but authorities do not believe the accounts he provided.
"Every interview he has given us has just been a lie," Chitwood said.
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The investigation remains ongoing.
Greg Wehner is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering U.S. news and crime, with a focus on breaking developments, law enforcement, public safety and major stories shaping communities across the country.