San Pablo man reports wife and mother-in-law missing, now charged with murdering them
SAN PABLO, Calif. - An East Bay man who reported his wife and mother-in-law missing back in September is now accused of killing them.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's office has charged Phuc Vo with two counts of murder.
Police have not located the women and haven't said how they were killed.
But investigators say the suspect was inconsistent in what he told police.
The couple's home in San Pablo is now a crime scene.
Investigators suspected that Vo killed his wife and mother-in-law in the home and tried to cover it up by reporting them missing.
Police shared with KTVU video of investigators searching the couple's home.
They said they found enough evidence to arrest him for murder.
A neighbor said she sensed something was wrong because she hadn't seen the women in months. .
"The last time we saw them was September 2023, which is really weird," neighbor Jazmin Rosillo said Tho Ly,40, and her 74-year-old mother Que Tran would often be seen gardening in their yard.
Neighbors said police dug up the yard in their search for clues to the women's whereabouts.
So far they haven't been found.
The husband allegedly told police the women drove off in this family vehicle, a white Honda Fit, and they may have headed to Southern California.
But police said leads helped them locate the car in Oakland at an industrial park and that they caught the suspect in a lie after they put the car under surveillance.
"This clip shows the suspect entering the parked vehicle," said Peggy Chou, a spokesperson for San Pablo police.
She said a surveillance camera shows Vo moving the vehicle just hours after telling police during an interview that he didn't know where the car was.
Police said Vo is a property manager and his wife works at a nail salon.
Investigators said that an argument over money may have led to the women's disappearance.
"I can't fathom the extent of grief and shock that the family is experiencing," said Chou.
Rosillo said the couple has a young daughter and son, "He said his mom has been missing for a while and that they had fought. He hadn't seen her and that he missed her."
The suspect's bail is set at $2 million dollars.
He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
Police said they still have a lot of work to do as they continue to look for the two women.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU.