Around noon on Friday, the body of Sandra Pagniano was discovered buried in a remote area about 10 miles northwest of her home on N Yaqui Drive, outside of Prescott.
The effort to locate her has been non-stop since her reported disappearance on Sunday, May 21, 2017, when the Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputies took a missing person report. The report was made by a family friend. Sandra was last seen on Friday, May 19, 2017, and when she did not show up for a scheduled social event, friends became concerned.
Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) detectives developed information that Sandra may have been harmed or killed by her husband, 55-year-old David Pagniano.
Evidence led to the arrest of David for one count of 2nd Degree Murder before Sandra’s body was found. David was booked at the Camp Verde Detention Center and remains in-custody on a 2-million-dollar bond. The couple, who were separated but living together in the home on Yaqui Drive, have two children ages 8 and 12, who are currently under monitored care.