Police say the couple’s 2- and 5-year-old children were unharmed but were inside the residence during the alleged crime.
PLANO, TX — A 37-year-old Plano man is charged with murder after his estranged wife was found dead following a welfare check at his residence, where the couple’s two young children also were present, according to police and an arrest affidavit.
Jake O’Brien Bigoni faces a murder charge and a charge of abuse of a corpse without legal authority in the death of his wife, 34-year-old Eliana Alexandra Bigoni. Plano police began investigating Wednesday, Aug. 12, after officers were sent to the 4700 block of Charles Place for a welfare concern involving possible family violence. Bigoni was initially arrested on the corpse-abuse charge, and detectives obtained a murder warrant the following day.
The welfare check began after a friend reported being unable to reach Eliana Bigoni, according to an arrest affidavit described by FOX 4. The friend told investigators that Eliana was expected at an 8:30 a.m. breakfast but did not arrive. The friend also said the couple had separated and were going through a divorce, and that Eliana planned to pick up their children, ages 2 and 5, that morning.
Officers arrived at Jake Bigoni’s residence at about 10:30 a.m. According to the affidavit, Bigoni answered the door with a large stain on his shirt and told officers it came from cleaning the home. He also told police that Eliana had visited earlier but was no longer there. Investigators later determined that the stain was blood, the affidavit said.
Police also received information from Bigoni’s mother, who reported that her son had called her before officers arrived. According to the affidavit, she told police that Bigoni said his wife was dead after the two had gotten into a fight. Authorities have not publicly established a motive, and the allegations contained in the affidavit have not been proven in court.
Investigators detained Bigoni and searched the property. Police found Eliana Bigoni’s body in the trunk of a vehicle in the apartment’s garage, according to the affidavit. Authorities reported injuries to her head and face but have not released an official cause of death. The Collin County Medical Examiner had not publicly announced that determination as of Friday.
The couple’s two children were inside the residence and were unharmed, police said. Plano Police Officer Jerry Minton told FOX 4 that investigators know the children were present but cannot say what they might have witnessed. Police removed the children from the residence as officers continued processing the scene.
Plano police initially arrested Bigoni at the scene on suspicion of abuse of a corpse without legal authority. Detectives with the department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit continued their investigation and obtained the murder warrant on Aug. 13. Jail records cited by local news organizations list murder as a first-degree felony charge and abuse of a corpse as a state jail felony charge.
Authorities have not released additional details about what investigators believe happened before officers arrived, and police have not announced whether any other charges are expected. The case remains under investigation. Bigoni was being held in the Collin County Jail without bond on the local warrants, according to the latest available reports.
Author note: Last updated August 15, 2026.