Man, 61, is charged with murder for choking to death a woman, 49, before dismembering her body and dumping it in multiple trash cans and the Arizona desert

Arizona man Timothy Sullivan, 61, was arrested on November 25 and charged with the death of Amy 'Ruby' Leagans, 49

An Arizona man has been charged with murder for allegedly killing a woman he was in a relationship with and dismembering her body before dumping parts of it in the desert, in a river and in trash cans around Phoenix.

Timothy Sullivan, 61, was arrested on November 25 and charged with the death of Amy 'Ruby' Leagans, 49, who had moved from Illinois to Chandler, Arizona, just last April for a fresh start.

Her family reported Leagans missing on October 27 when they had not heard from her in a week. 

Cops launched an investigation and part of her body was found with 'obvious signs of foul play' near the bottom of Salt River close to central Phoenix on November 17.  

Her death was immediately regarded as suspicious and cops identified Sullivan as a suspect. They called on the public for information before he was taken into custody late last month. 

Once arrested, Sullivan admitted his crime, saying he was in Leagans' apartment when they started having an argument, ABC15 reports.

When she began shouting at him, he told cops that he 'snapped' and choked Leagans to death.

According to documents obtained by ABC15, Sullivan initially left Leagans's body in her apartment for two days. 

The family of Amy 'Ruby' Leagans, 49, reported her missing on October 27 when they had no contact from her in a week. Part of her body was found on the bottom of the Salt River on November 17. She had been dismembered and placed in trash cans throughout Phoneix

He then claims to have wrapped the victim in a tarp and buried her in his backyard near Chaparral and Granite Reef roads in Scottsdale.

However, Sullivan then allegedly became worried about the discovery of the body and dug it up again before dismembering Leagans and disposing of her remains in various trash cans throughout Phoenix.

ABC15 reports that her torso was found in a desert area.

Cops had previously spoken to Sullivan on November 10 as the search for Leagans continued and found his vehicle parked at the home in Scottsdale with bleach, gloves, bedding, a duffle bag, and cleaning supplies inside.

At the time, Sullivan claimed he had met Leagans before but did not have a relationship with her.

Before the discovery at his home, however, another person was allegedly attacked by Sullivan, during which 'he told her not to think that he would not kill her and bury her next to (name redacted) in the backyard'.

Cops secured a search warrant for his home where they discovered burned pieces of human hair, women's clothing, and a bracelet in an area covered in mulch in the backyard, in what appeared to be a shallow grave.

Blood was also found in Leagans' apartment and in her vehicle.

Cops say that they were forced to use dental records to discover who the remains belonged to. 

Tim Sullivan told cops he 'snapped' in an argument with Leagans and choked her to death

Sullivan initially claimed that he was not in a relationship with Leagans, pictured

Following the discovery of Leagans' body and the forensic investigation of Sullivan's car, yard and home, as well as details from cell phone records, police issued an arrest warrant for Sullivan. 

Her family have described Leagans' death as 'gruesome and heartbreaking' and claim that she never mentioned a relationship with Sullivan to them.

'It just doesn't make sense, so the why, I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna get. Nobody will ever know apart from those two people - my sister and Tim Sullivan,' Christa Holton, Leagan’s older sister told ABC12 during the week in which Leagans would have celebrated her 50th birthday.

Leagans had moved to Arizona in April for a fresh start, her family said

'It'll be a celebration of her smile, of her laugh, of everything that she has done for her family and her friends.'

'Life will never be the same without Amy,' her family added in a statement to AZ Family. 'She is gone, but she'll never be forgotten.'

'Amy moved to Arizona in April because she was tired of the cold weather in Chicago. Unfortunately, she became involved with the wrong person and was put on the National Missing Person's list on November 6th; her body was found on November 17th.

'My parents have lost a child and we have lost our baby sister… we never got to say goodbye and we'll never hear her voice again. But we are eternally grateful to all of our family and friends who've reached out to help us through this.'

According to 12 News, Sullivan has a history of domestic abuse. It was reported earlier this year that he assaulted Leagans although police had no record of the incident and no action had been taken at the time.

He has said that his actions in her death were 'spontaneous and heinous'.

Sullivan is scheduled to appear in court next week on a second-degree murder charge.