Photo: @personaldebbymichels/Instagram
Brazilian fitness influencer Débora 'Debby' Michels was found dead yards away from her parents' home in Montenegro after being murdered by her husband, Alexander Gunsch, on Friday (January 26), according to local media outlet GZH Segurança via the New York Post.
Michels, 30, was found wrapped in a red cloth following a physical argument with Gunsch, 41, who later admitted to the killing and disposal of her body after turning himself in.
“Débora was a person very loved by everyone here in the community. Friends, family, everyone loved her,” her brother, Alex Michels, told GZH.
Gunsch told police that he lifted Michels by the neck and threw her against a wardrobe during the argument and claimed he was taking her to the hospital before realizing she was already dead, at which point he panicked and dumped her body in her parents' neighborhood.
“He simply dumped this victim’s body in front of [her] parents’ residence. Not only did he discard the cellphone, but also the victim’s body,” a police spokesperson said via GZH.
Police ruled Michels' death as a homicide and requested Gunsch be detained prior to his arrest on Sunday (January 28). The couple had been together 11 years, but were in the process of separating and Michels was set to move into her own apartment on the day of her death, GZH reported.
“It’s important for us to tell women not to remain silent, to seek help,” the police spokesperson told GZH. “The only way to stop these male attackers is for the authorities to do something, because they will never stop.”