SAN PABLO — A 41-year-old local resident has been arrested and charged with murdering his wife and mother-in-law, who have been missing since last September.
Phuc Hong Vo, of San Pablo, was charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances. The victims have been identified as Vo’s wife, 40-year-old Tho Ngoc Ly, 40, and her mother, 70-year-old Que Thi Tran.
While police have allegedly established that Vo killed both women, their bodies have yet to be found. Authorities have served search warrants at Vo’s home and discovered blood, but are still testing to see if it can be tied to the victims, multiple law enforcement sources said.
Ly and Tran were reported missing in September. In December, the San Pablo Police Department asked the public for help finding them. The police news release says that they “reportedly traveled to the Southern California region following a family argument,” and were nowhere to be found.
It is unclear if the information about their alleged trip south came from Vo or someone else. Authorities have said, though, that their most recent confirmed sighting was at the Sutter Avenue home where Vo and both victims lived.
Vo later became a suspect after detectives observed him driving his wife’s supposed missing vehicle, which was later found in Oakland on Dec. 5, police said Monday.
Vo was arrested Feb. 29. He remains jailed in Contra Costa County on a $2 million warrant. His arraignment has been set for Tuesday before Judge Patricia Scanlon, court records show.
