Search underway for woman’s body after husband says he dumped her corpse in Whiskeytown Lake, authorities say
Philip Jacobs, 56, has been arrested on suspicion of murder after telling detectives his wife died in an argument and confessing he dumped Bridget Jacobs’ body into Whiskeytown Lake. (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)
An intense search is underway for the body of a missing Northern California woman whose husband confessed to tying a cement block to her corpse, then dumping it in a lake, authorities said.
Search crews have been scouring the waters surrounding Brandy Creek Marina, 14 miles west of Redding, for days, looking for the body of Bridget Marie Jacobs. Her husband directed detectives to the location, according Sgt. Brian Jackson of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office.
On Tuesday, Philip Jacobs was arrested on suspicion of murder after he reportedly told deputies that his wife died during an argument.
Authorities began to investigate the case March 15, when deputies received a frightening 911 call from the couple’s home. A woman could be heard screaming before the line was disconnected, Jackson said.
Deputies arrived at the couple’s home in the 3800 block of Westridge Road in Cottonwood at 11 p.m. When they entered, no one was home, but two dogs were lying on a couch.
Investigators checked phone records and determined the call came from Philip Jacob’s cellphone, authorities said. The call was made in the area of Cottonwood, a historic frontier town about 57 miles north of Chico.
Five days later, Bridget Jacobs’ father reported her missing. Deputies also discovered she missed two days of work.
When deputies went to the couple’s home again, Philip Jacobs said he made the 911 call during an argument with Bridget Jacobs. He told them his wife had left home with her purse, cellphone and 4-year-old Pomeranian/Yorkshire-mix dog, Abijah, Jackson said.
Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office’s Major Crimes Unit took over the investigation and began searching the couple’s neighborhood.
Detectives also searched the couple’s home and found Bridget Jacobs’ phone in a safe as well as other “items of evidence indicating foul play,” sheriff’s officials said.
They also discovered Philip Jacobs had driven to Whiskeytown Lake on the night of March 19 with a blue boat in tow, Jackson said.
Throughout the probe into Bridget Jacob’s whereabouts, Philip Jacobs maintained that his wife had left their home after the argument on March 15, he said. According to deputies, the couple had marital problems.
On Tuesday however, the case took a new turn.
In an interview with detectives, Philip Jacobs revealed details surrounding his wife’s death and explained that “he needed to talk about how accidents happen,” Jackson said.
He told deputies that Bridget Jacobs fell down a flight of stairs, possibly broke her neck and died during the March 15 argument, the sergeant said.
Philip Jacobs admitted to keeping his wife’s body inside the home until March 19, when he placed her in the blue boat and drove to Brandy Creek Marina at Whiskeytown Lake, Jackson said.
Jacobs rowed to an area of the lake and dumped the corpse, which he anchored to a cinder block, and then drove home, Jackson said.
During the interview with detectives, Jacobs showed detectives the area where he dumped his wife’s body, but declined to give details, Jackson said.
Bridget Jacobs’ dog is still missing.
According to Jackson, Philip Jacobs has declined to say to what happened to the dog.
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