GILBERT, AZ – A 51-year-old woman from Gilbert has been accused of killing her husband and concealing his body in their residence, according to local police. Authorities arrived at the scene the day before Thanksgiving following a welfare check request. Officers received calls on November 22 afternoon regarding a welfare inspection at a residence situated on Aspen Way, in the vicinity of Guadalupe and Recker roads. On arrival, law enforcement found 49-year-old Stefan Kolev dead on the premises.
Arrest reports detailed that Kolev’s semi-decomposed body was discovered wrapped in plastic and concealed beneath a bed, indicating gunshot injuries and a stab wound to the groin. Detectives reported signs of an attempted clean-up at the crime scene, such as observed bloodstains and bullet marks on the bedroom door.
The heavily expurgated court papers released by Arizona’s Family specified how investigators traced the crime back to Ivanka Koleva, 51. According to the document, Koleva reached out to a family friend a few days prior, expressing that her husband “left their family” and she required assistance caring for her 21-year-old son and an unidentified 14-year-old child. Nevertheless, video surveillance indicated that Kolev was alive mere hours before her contact.
Koleva then allegedly reserved several rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn located in Tempe. Per the documents, Koleva’s teenage child informed his sibling that their mother had forbidden visiting the house without a police escort after his mother’s prolonged absence. Subsequently, on the afternoon of November 20, Koleva landed in the hospital due to an accident and reportedly made suicidal statements. On the same night, an individual reported her as a missing person exhibiting “erratic” behavior and “senseless” actions.
A firearm, purchased from a gun store in Tempe earlier that month, was discovered within Koleva’s car, which was previously impounded post the accident. Koleva was apprehended at a Chandler hospital on Monday under charges of second-degree murder, with her bail set at $1 million.