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An Indiana man is facing charges in connection with the tragic death of his girlfriend, whose body was discovered through the persistent efforts of a friend using her cell phone’s ringtone to locate her.
According to an autopsy report, Kimberly Stewart succumbed to severe injuries inflicted by the blunt side of an axe, as reported by WXIN.
The distressing series of events began when a friend of Stewart, who mentioned that she was involved in buying cars at auctions and refurbishing them for resale, attempted to contact her. He had arranged to collect a vehicle that had been sold, messaging her on Tuesday afternoon to inform her of his plan. However, after receiving no response, he visited her residence around 4:30 p.m. only to find her absent and her vehicle missing. After running some errands and returning home, he reached out to her again via text just after 10 p.m., announcing his intention to stop by once more.
Upon his arrival, Stewart was still unresponsive, and he noticed her dog outside, an unusual occurrence since the pet was typically kept indoors. More concerning was the fact that the backdoor was unlocked, and her boyfriend, 45-year-old Travis Wolfe, was nowhere to be found—a rare situation given Wolfe’s usual presence at home.
Acting on instinct, the friend decided to call Stewart’s phone, tracing the sound of the ringtone to a harrowing discovery: Kimberly Stewart’s lifeless body was found wedged between a fence and an outdoor spa in the backyard. Authorities arrived at the scene around 11 p.m., marking the beginning of a somber investigation.
The friend further told investigators that Wolfe was a “psychopath maniac” who had been “threatening to kill people yesterday,” court documentes said. Wolfe frequently carried an axe and often did “crazy stuff” in the backyard and thought everyone was “out to get him,” he said. Wolfe and Stewart, he said, argued “all the time.”
The affidavit said that police were “familiar” with Wolfe.
Police later found Wolfe driving a BMW registered to Stewart. They found traces of blood on the passenger seat and floorboard — and an axe on the back seat.
Wolfe told investigators he had argued with Stewart on Tuesday but denied hitting her with his axe.
But police spoke with a neighbor who provided crucial information. That witness said he was loading a car in his driveway when he heard a woman scream and saw a man he later identified as Wolfe swinging a “club or hammer” toward the ground. He also said the man kept yelling at a dog to “shut up.”
The witness “specifically noted that the male was between the spa and the wooden fence,” the affidavit said. “This is the same place where police found Kimberly Stewart’s body.”
Wolfe was arrested on a preliminary murder charge as well as an outstanding warrant for unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon case.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will make the final charging decision.