Friday, May 6, 2011

Las Vegas, NV: Man nabbed in Philippines after wife’s remains found in backyard

By Jackie Valley (contact)
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | 2:11 p.m.

A Las Vegas man whose wife's remains were found buried in their former backyard has been arrested in the Philippines, Metro Police said Thursday.

FBI agents and Filipino authorities arrested 53-year-old Hugh Cave in Sabang, Morong Bataan, in the Philippines earlier today, officials said. He has been charged with the murder of 45-year-old Gloria Cave, whose remains were found last month.

Hugh Cave apparently fled to the Philippines after selling his Las Vegas home and allegedly told his wife's Filipino family that she died in a car accident, police said.

Police responded at 11:16 a.m. April 24 to the 1300 block of Gold Avenue to investigate reports of possible human remains. That location is near Owens Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

A woman who moved into the home contacted police after she and a neighbor found the body while they were moving a backyard planter, according to the warrant.

Fe Rawson-Oseo told police that after Hugh Cave sold her the home, he asked to remain there until after the Super Bowl on Feb. 6. She took him to the airport the following day because he was going to the Philippines, according to the warrant.

Rawson-Oseo had heard from Cave twice since then — once in regard to tax forms for his wife that were coming in the mail and again when he emailed her April 11.

In the email, Hugh Cave informed Rawson-Oseo that his wife had died in a car accident before he moved.

"This is why I sold the house and why I sold it quickly and for less than it's (sic) appraisal value," the email states. "I did not want to go through all the 'We're sorry for you' and the "What happened' and all over and over again."

Neighbors told police they last remember seeing Gloria Cave around Thanksgiving, according to the warrant.

Meanwhile, detectives interviewed Gloria Cave's former co-workers at Spring View and Desert View Home Health, who said she abruptly faxed them a letter Dec. 16 saying she was headed to the Philippines because her brother was ill, police noted in the warrant.

On April 11, a friend of Gloria Cave called her sister in the Philippines, who told her Hugh Cave had delivered the news of Gloria dying in a car accident. He had arrived with an urn supposedly containing her ashes, according to the warrant.

Authorities have no records of Gloria Cave involved in a car accident or documentation of her death. The Clark County Coroner's Office confirmed April 28 that the remains found in the backyard were those of Gloria Cave.

It's unclear how Gloria Cave died. The official cause and manner of her death are pending toxicology reports and further police investigation.

Hugh Cave is in the process of being extradited to Las Vegas, officials said.

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