POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Investigators are continuing to search for the body of a missing woman who officers believe was murdered.
That woman’s husband is behind bars, charged with her killing.
Irene Lanning Xeniti left a lasting impression on everyone she met.
“She is the sweetest lady ever,” said friend Leigh Filewich.
Xeniti, known as Letty, mysteriously vanished last month.
Her friends, Leigh Filewich and Dianna Painton, grew concerned and went to her Pompano Beach home looking for her.
They instead found her husband, Ian Lanning.
“He’s like, ‘I don’t know, I haven’t seen her. We got into a fight. She left on her own free will,’” Filewich recalled.
On May 30, Xeniti’s daughter reported her missing.
Police had visited the couple’s home two weeks prior.
Detectives say Lanning told them she left on May 14, after the couple had an argument.
Weeks later, police arrested Lanning for murder.
Detectives said they found evidence Xeniti was murdered inside the home, but her body has not been located.
“Where is her body, is the worst part of this,” said Painton.
Police have not said what they found or how she was killed.
The 53-year-old leaves behind two children, and friends who loved her dearly.
“It’s horrible. I never imagined someone like her would be murdered,” said Painton.
Both Filewich and Painton said leading up to Xeniti’s disappearance, nothing seemed off.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office is expected to give an update on the case on Tuesday.