UPDATE: Former Palm Springs man arrested in murder of wife in Missouri

Branson Police have filed first-degree murder charges against a former Palm Springs resident, Thomas Philip Brown, 68, after his wife was found dead in a Branson, Missouri motel room.

A hotel cleaning staff found Marilyn J. Brown in her bed February 24th,dead from a gunshot wound. She was 63.

Branson police said officers located the suspect’s vehicle Thursday morning at 2 a.m. at a Hampton Inn Hotel on the 3600 block of W. Highway 76. Officers entered Brown’s room and took him into custody without incident.

A search warrant was obtained for Brown’s room and vehicle. Officers say they found a weapon believed to be the one used in the killing of his wife. Forensic testing will be ordered to confirm those findings.

Brown is currently awaiting transport to the Taney County Jail.

The couple lived in the Mesquite Country Club in Palm Springs beforedecidingto move to Branson.

Police say Thomas did not want to move to Missouri. Once the couple arrived they were displaced for unknown reasons from the home they had planned to reside in and were forced to check into the Ramada Resort and Conference Center on the 21st.

There appeared to be no sign of a struggle. Thomas, his personal belongings, the couple’s SUV and the family pet were all missing from the scene. Police said he was driving the SUV, a blue 2006Dodge Durango with California license plate 5WRF678.

Palm Springs police Sgt. Mike Kovaleff said his department was in contact with Branson police, but there was no information indicating thesuspect planned to return to the Coachella Valley.

At this time, police have no reason to suspect anyone else was involved.