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7:40 a.m. • 2-12-12

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Court Records: Slain Woman in Financial Dispute


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Vanlata Patel
Vanlata Patel

Court records show a slain Cary woman had a dispute with her estranged husband over how their financial assets should be divided.

In a divorce complaint filed in November, Vanlata Patel, 57, requested a majority of more than $400,000 in Swiss bank accounts that she shared with Harish Patel, including $100,000 she claimed was a gift from her parents she was keeping in the account for her son from a previous marriage.

Patel was reported missing Friday when she did not board a flight to Canada. Firefighters had found her burned remains along Interstate 85 in Virginia two days earlier.

Meanwhile, investigators were back for a second day at the Cary apartment Patel once lived at with her husband.

Cary Police Capt. David Wulff said investigators searched and took into custody two vehicles the couple owned. They returned Thursday, he said, because they were not finished with what they wanted to do.

Wulff said investigators have not named any suspects or persons of interest in Patel's death, but they have not excluded anyone, either. Police ask that anyone with information about Patel's death to call 919-469-4012.

Results of an autopsy to determine the cause of Patel's death is as much as a week away, authorities said.

RELATED TOPICS: Cary

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Her husband did this or had something to do with it...

Her husband did it. His hands were shaking so bad during the interview. The camera focused on that several times. I was thinking he was doing a "copycat" also.

follow the money ....

Its a tragic situatiion, although slightly improved over what would have happened in India. There the Mother in Law would simply have doused her Sari in paraffin (kerosene) and set her on fire alive, later claiming it to be an accident. Don't believe it? look it up.

I think this is sad, but you should look at the spouse first when it involves money and divorce.

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