Fayetteville man charged with murdering his wife, burning and burying her body

According to the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, Kenneth Hardin Jr. is being held in the St. Tammany, Louisiana, jail awaiting extradition in connection with the death of his wife, Carrie Hardin, early Tuesday, August 20.

The woman's body showed signs of gunshot wounds, Sheriff Barry Babb is quoted as saying.

Fayette officers tracked Hardin to Covington, Louisiana, where a SWAT team arrested Hardin in his motel room.

Hardin confessed to family members on August 21 that “He killed his wife in self-defense, burned her body and left town,” the Fayette Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

Hardin's father reported the information to officers, and officers found a shallow grave in a wooded area behind the home at 145 Merlin Court in Fayetteville, the report said. “The partially burned remains of Carrie Hardin were found buried under yard debris.”

Local officials are currently questioning Hardin in Louisiana, who is in custody awaiting extradition to Fayette County.