Arrest warrant issued for husband of North Carolina woman found dead, active search for him underway

NASHVILLE, N.C. (WGHP) -- The husband of a North Carolina woman found dead Tuesday was the last known person to see her alive, according to police.

Diana Alejandra Keel, 38, was last seen by her husband on March 8, according to the Nash County Sheriff's Office. She was reported missing on March 9 by her daughter.

Keel's employer said the emergency room nurse hadn't showed up to work in the last few days. The sheriff's office said her body was found about 30 miles away from her home.

Following an autopsy on Wednesday, police confirmed Keel's identity, and said her death was being treated as a homicide.

Police questioned Keel's husband, Rexford Lynn Keel, on Tuesday, according to Maj. Miste Strickland of the Nash County Sheriff's Office.

There has now been an arrest warrant issued for Rexford Lynn Keel and authorities are actively looking for him, according to WTVD. He is wanted on a first-degree murder charge.

Investigators are also taking a second look at the death of Keel's first wife, Elizabeth Edward Keel, who died in 2006 at the same home Keel lives in today, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

Keel didn't report his wife's disappearance, Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone said. Keel said his wife would frequently leave their Nashville, North Carolina, home for several days at a time, according to Stone.