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Background: A section of the 1300 block of South Lynhurst Drive in Indianapolis, Indiana (Google Maps). Inset: Travis Wolfe (Indianapolis Metro Police Department).
An Indiana man is facing charges after allegedly using the blunt side of an ax to kill his girlfriend during a heated dispute outside her residence, subsequently abandoning her body there.
Travis Wolfe, aged 45, has been charged with the murder of 51-year-old Kimberly Stewart. He also faces charges for unlawful firearm possession due to his status as a serious violent felon, according to court documents examined by Law&Crime. Wolfe is currently detained without bail at the Marion County Adult Detention Center.
Authorities suspect that both Stewart and Wolfe were present at a location on the 1300 block of South Lynhurst Drive in Indianapolis, Indiana, on the day of the incident. Stewart reportedly resided in the house while Wolfe lived in the garage.
The probable cause affidavit, accessed by local Fox affiliate WXIN, reveals that the couple engaged in an altercation that day, something not unusual for them. Just the day before, they had clashed over a water pump Wolfe had installed in a BMW, as per a friend’s account.
On Monday, Wolfe had reportedly been “threatening to kill people,” according to the friend, who described him as a “psychopath maniac.” The suspect was known for yelling at neighbors, harboring the belief that others were “out to get him.” He was also noted for doing “crazy stuff” in the backyard and for frequently carrying an ax, as stated by the police.
The friend was the one who reportedly discovered Stewart”s body. The two of them had known each other for 10 years and would sell vehicles together. On Tuesday afternoon, he texted her, saying he planned to come by to pick up a car title for a vehicle they’d sold.
The friend arrived at Stewart’s home around 4:30 p.m. but did not see her, the affidavit stated. Her blue Dodge Nitro was in the driveway, and she wasn’t answering her texts. However, the latter point was not completely strange; she worked an overnight shift at a UPS distributor and often slept during the day.
Still, the friend messaged her again later that night, saying he was coming over, per WXIN. When he got there just shy of 11 p.m., he saw her dog outside, which he found odd because the dog largely stayed inside. As he walked further, he found other apparently abnormal things.
The dog was “going crazy” toward the garage, and the home’s back door was unusually locked. As the friend approached the garage, he found that no one was there, which was strange because “Travis doesn’t leave here ever,” police said.
The friend dialed Stewart’s phone and heard a ring, the court document goes on. And as he followed the tone, he saw her lying between a wooden fence and an outdoor spa. She was stiff and cool to the touch, police said.
The Indianapolis Metro Police Department (IMPD) reported being called to the home about “a report of an unresponsive female” at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday. When officers got there, they found Stewart “in a backyard with injuries consistent with trauma.”
She “had died at the scene before police arrived,” the department said. An autopsy found that she died from blunt force trauma, police said.
Detectives launched an investigation, spoke to the friend, and identified Wolfe as a suspect. Within three hours, they found him about 12 miles northeast on East 19th Street and North Drexel Avenue in the city. He was arrested for the firearm charge and questioned about Stewart’s death.
Wolfe was reportedly in a BMW when officers found him, and he allegedly told them that after he and Stewart had argued, he had left the residence in her Dodge Nitro before noticing it was nearly out of gas and returning to drive the BMW. He denied hitting Stewart with an ax.
However, another witness apparently helped investigators build their case. A man told police he was in his driveway around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday when he heard a woman yell and then saw a man between the wooden fence and spa swinging something toward the ground. This man — later identified by police as Wolfe — was also yelling at a dog to “shut up.”
Wolfe was charged just before 1 a.m. on Thursday with murder.
“Thanks to the relentless work of our detectives and the courage of the community, a dangerous individual is in custody today,” said IMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams. “One of our detectives worked several hours straight to ensure this case came together quickly and thoroughly. Just as important, community members provided key information that helped secure the murder charge.”