Woman found dead in her Lod apartment; husband arrested

A woman aged 53 was found dead in her apartment in the central city of Lod on Sunday, police said, reportedly with signs of violence on her body.

Police were alerted at 5:37 a.m. by the woman’s husband, who then fled the scene and crashed into a pursuing police car near the couple’s apartment.

No one was injured in the crash, and the husband was arrested on suspicion of murder.

The suspect was later named as 58-year-old Moshe Atias.

During the phone call to police, the suspect said he had hurt his wife, and requested medical assistance to treat her, Channel 12 reported.

The couple have three children, and reports said there was no known history of violence or abuse between them.

החשוד ברצח בלוד הוא משה אטיאס, מעצרו הוארך עד ליום חמישי | לידיעה המלאה >>> https://t.co/8e0EUfP3Xn@hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/LkepPBA0Py

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 12, 2023

According to Channel 12, the couple was supposed to fly together to Georgia on the morning of the suspected murder, for the husband’s dental treatment. The suitcases were already packed, the network said.

The report added that recently, Atias had been mentally unstable, and had gone through a series of psychiatric treatments and diagnoses.

Atias’ remand was later extended by five days by the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court.

The woman was not immediately named.

The woman’s death comes days after 33-year-old Lidar Swisa Yaffe was found dead in her apartment, also in Lod. Police arrested Yaffe’s neighbor, who relatives said had a history of harassing her, on suspicion of murder.

Domestic violence in Israel is on the rise, according to figures released in November by the Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry.

Numerous protests have been held in recent years over the authorities’ handling of domestic violence, particularly in cases where the victims were already known to be in abusive relationships.