The tragic discovery of Keri Ann Abatti, a former beauty queen, unfolded in her luxurious $1.6 million Arizona mansion, where she was found unconscious with a gunshot wound to her head. It was her nephew who stumbled upon the distressing scene, as detailed in a recent autopsy report.

The narrative takes a darker turn with the involvement of her husband, Michael Abatti, a prominent figure in the Imperial Valley farming community. He faces charges in connection with the murder of his estranged wife, which led to his arrest in California earlier this month. At the time of Keri Ann’s death on November 20, the couple was entangled in contentious divorce proceedings.

The nephew, who made the grim discovery, recounted to investigators that he heard a loud noise moments before finding Keri Ann gravely injured in their Pinetop, Arizona, hilltop residence. This account is corroborated by the autopsy report.

During the investigation, authorities noted a “circular defect” on one of the mansion’s windows, suggesting that the gunshot might have been fired from the yard outside the residence, according to the report.

The incident prompted a swift response from first responders, who were alerted by a relative of the Abatti family reporting a medical emergency. This tragic event continues to unravel as officials delve deeper into the circumstances surrounding Keri Ann’s death.

Paramedics discovered that Kerri had been shot, and she was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Kerri Abatti was reportedly living alone in the lavish pad after she separated from the farming mogul.

Michael Abatti drove from his California home to Pinetop, allegedly shot his wife, turned around and drove the 400 miles back to California.

Kerri had filed for divorce in California with proceedings pending at the time of her death. 

The Abattis were married for 31 years and have three children. Kerri told the court they lived an affluent lifestyle and owned property in three states.

She originally received $5,000 monthly temporary spousal support, but was looking for more to maintain the standard of living she had grown accustomed to. She also asked for an additional $100,000 in attorney’s fees, court filings showed.

Abbatti, who was once on the board of the powerful Imperial Irrigation District raised support to $6,400 per month, despite having argued in a court filing that bad farming years had taken its toll on his business.

“Different theories will come up. The only thing that’s glaring that I think everybody already knows is there’s a divorce in place and they weren’t able to come to a resolution. But I can’t speak exactly to what the motive would be.” said the Navajo County Sheriff.

Abatti is awaiting extradition to Arizona. “We ask the public to respect his privacy and constitutional rights and reiterate that this case will be decided based on the evidence by a jury.” said his attorney Owen Roth.

With Post wires