A criminal complaint issued in Washoe County has charged a Fallon man, 71-year-old Daniel Munoz, with the murder of his wife in Reno and subsequently her burial in the backyard of their Churchill County house located on Del Rio Drive. Munoz has been extradited to Washoe County.
UPDATE, Nov. 27
The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the woman who was found dead near Del Rio Drive in Fallon on Nov. 21.
Xiaoxia Zhang, 40, of Reno, was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause and manner of death are pending. The Reno Police Department and Churchill County Sheriff’s Office are handling the law enforcement investigation for this case.
INITIAL STORY
A 71-year-old Fallon man has been arrested and charged with the murder of his 40-year-old wife, whose buried body was discovered in their backyard.
The Churchill County Sheriff’s Office and the Reno Police Department conducted the investigation that resulted in the arrest of Daniel Munoz. The woman had been reported missing since Nov. 8, but the investigation between the two law enforcement agencies didn’t begin until Nov. 20 after it was determined the woman had been missing for more than two weeks under suspicious circumstances.
The woman’s body was discovered by detectives who were searching the couple’s property in the 1400 block of Del Rio Drive in Fallon. A search was conducted at another residence in the 6100 block of Pleasant Oak Trail in Reno.
Detectives concluded the woman had been killed in Reno before her body was transferred to Fallon for burial at the Del Rio Drive residence.
The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office is conducting the medical examination and will release the woman’s identity after proper notifications have been made.
Detectives said they believe this incident is an isolated event.
Anyone who may have information on this incident is urged to contact the RPD's non-emergency line at 775-334-2677.