Maine Woman Found Dead Buried with Potato Chips, Perfume and Note

(CBSNews) FAIRFIELD, Maine -- The autopsy of a Maine woman found dead behind her in-laws’ home shows she was buried along with a bag of potato chips, a bottle of perfume and a note that took “an apologetic tone.”

The Morning Sentinel reported the body of 34-year-old Valerie Tieman was found partially buried in a shallow grave behind her in-laws’ Fairfield home on Sept. 20.

Police say Tieman was shot in the head and neck by her husband, who then dumped her body not far from the home that the couple shared with his parents. Her husband, Luc, is charged with murder.

A toxicology report found that Valerie Tieman had several synthetic opioids in her system.

Luc Tieman’s attorney says he expects the public “will not exercise a rush to judgment.”

Investigators said Luc Tieman claimed his wife disappeared from a Walmart parking lot on August 30, CBS affiliate WGME reported. He told police he went inside alone and when he came back out she was gone, but he never reported her missing.

Valerie’s parents, who live in South Carolina, reported her missing more than a week later.

A long-time friend of Valerie’s also from South Carolina told CBS affiliate WGME in September that they stayed in touch even after Valerie moved to Maine to be with her husband.

Beth Bradley said she remembers red flags during conversations with her friend, but thought she was just being overprotective. 

“I just got a sick feeling in my stomach. I was like, there’s more to this, and I talked to my husband about it, and he was like maybe she just got up and walked out of the truck,” Bradley said. “I knew Valerie well enough to know she didn’t get up and walk out of the truck. Maybe Valerie was trying to leave at some point and maybe if he did it, maybe he didn’t want her to go.”