A woman who is on the run and suspected of murdering her husband felt trapped in her marriage, according to her mother.
Leticia Smith is believed to have killed her husband Antoine Smith, 35, at the family home on the 13700 block of Brynwood Street in Victorville, a San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokesman said.
Deputies found Smith's body when they made a welfare check at the house Tuesday night after he missed several days of work. Investigators say she fled with her daughters Isabel, 8, and 4-year-old Abigail.
Leticia Smith's mother, who asked not to be identified, said her daughter told her she felt trapped. She called her son-in-law's death a tragedy, and said it was the result of an unhappy marriage.
She also said her daughter is a caring mother who devoted herself to her family. she claimed she has no idea about her daughter's whereabouts.
One of the couple's neighbors believes she may have been the last person to see Antoine Smith alive, and said they had been arguing.
"My heart almost stopped (when I discovered he was dead)," Stacee Harold said. "Because they haven’t seen him and the last time i saw him it was a fight … I could be the last one to see this person if anything has happened to him."
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Investigators believe Leticia Smith is driving a 2010 Silver Honda Accord with the California license plate 7FBT742.
Anyone with information can contact detectives on (909)387-3589.
