Delray Beach Police Arrest Man Who Murdered Wife, Left Dismembered Body In Intracoastal

by News Desk | Aug 4, 2023 · 6:14 pm | Delray Beach News

William Lowe Arrested For Murder Of Wife, Aydill Barbosa Fontes

Last Updated: Mar 28, 2026 · 4:04 pm

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William Lowe Arrested For Murder Of Wife, Aydill Barbosa Fontes

DELRAY BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2023) — 78-year-old William Lowe arrested for murdering and dismembering his wife, 80-year-old Aydil Barbosa Fontes, before leaving her in several suitcases along the Intracoastal waterway in Delray Beach last month.

The victim, originally reported by Delray Beach Police as an unidentified 35-55 year old female, has since been identified as 80-year-old Aydil Barbosa Fontes. Police say that Aydil was found dismembered in several suitcases along the Intracoastal waterway on July 21st, 2023. The following day, her head was found in a tote bag floating in the Intracoastal.

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According to an arrest affidavit, detectives say that Fontes was murdered by her husband, 78-year-old William Lowe, before he dismembered her body, put it in suitcases, and left it in the Intracoastal near their Delray Beach apartment. A report from the Medical Examiner says that Fontes died from a single gunshot wound to her head.

Detectives say that they reviewed CCTV footage from homes near where the suitcases were found. Some of the surveillance shows a suspect pushing items into the intracoastal with a long pole on July 20th, days before the discovery.

One couple told detectives that in the days prior to detectives investigating the suitcases, they saw the suspect staring at the suitcase as it was floated in the intracoastal. They said he became very nervous when they asked him what he was looking at. The witnesses say that he returned to the area 5-6 times across a 3 day period. Witnesses reported seeing the man get into a gold color Ford Taurus.

A week after the body parts were discovered along the Intracoastal, a detective working in the area reported seeing a gold colored Ford Taurus, like the one witnesses reported seeing in the previous days. Detectives ran the plate and found the owner was 78-year-old William Lowe, who lived nearby. Detectives also learned that Lowe was married to 80-year-old Aydil Barbosa Fontes who also lived with him at the apartment nearby on Venetian Drive.

Detectives were granted a DNA search warrant and they took Lowe into custody. Upon questioning, Lowe said that his wife went to Brazil 3 weeks ago and said he didn’t know the last time he talked to her. Detectives then executed a search warrant of Lowe’s apartment where they found blood splatter throughout.

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Delray Police searched a storage unit rented by Lowe where they found a chainsaw which had blood, flesh, bone fragments, and fresh hair still in the chain and housing of it. There was also a cooler in the unit which had red marks on it which detectives believe were blood stains.

Lowe was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a dead body. Lowe is currently in jail without bond.

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Boca Post reports on arrests and court filings based on publicly available records. Individuals or businesses named in this coverage who wish to provide additional context or an official statement may request publication of a response.

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