Last month, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office discovered human remains in a torched vehicle. The vehicle belonged to a woman who had been reported missing two hours before the vehicle was discovered.

At the time of the discovery, police identified the 2000 Nissan Maxima as the vehicle owned by the missing woman, 43-year-old Gwendolyn Hill Belcher. The skeletal remains found in the vehicle were later positively identified through dental records as being Mrs. Belcher.

On Wednesday, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that Mrs. Belcher’s death was the result of homicidal violence. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Mrs. Belcher was reported missing by family members on Sunday, September 16th, around 4:30 p.m.

During the course of the interviews, they learned that on the night of September 15, her husband, Christopher Keith Belcher, 43, had gone to a birthday party. When Belcher returned home, he and Mrs. Belcher became engaged in a verbal confrontation that turned physical.

About two hours after receiving the missing person’s report, police said other deputies responded to Taylor Road and Pruett Road in reference to a burned vehicle.

After arriving at the scene, police determined that the vehicle belonged to Mrs. Belcher and discovered it contained skeletal remains.

Deputies arrested Belcher early the following Monday morning and charged him with domestic violence. He was initially held at the Hillsborough County Jail without bond. Bond was later set at $1,000,000.

However, Mark Cox, spokesman for the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said the charge against Belcher has been dropped.

“He was being held on a misdemeanor and after the case was reviewed, it was determined that based on a lack of evidence, we didn’t have enough to substantiate the case. However, the death of his wife is still a very active investigation.”

Belcher was released on Tuesday.