LIBERTY, NY — A 65-year-old man has been charged with the murder of his wife. New York State Police say Jorge Gonzalez has been arrested and charged with shooting and killing his 33-year-old wife Ramona Gonzalez.

Officials say Ramona was shot and killed in a wooded area in the Town of Fallsburg. Jorge was charged with second-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a minor. He was arraigned in Fallsburg town court and sent to the Sullivan County Jail with no bail set.

Jorge was arrested after a joint investigation by the New York State Police and the Liberty Police Department. State police held a press conference regarding the murder on February 8 in Middletown and said Romona’s children saw her in the morning on February 4, but when they returned home from school she was missing.

There are four children ranging in age from 15 years to two months. On the evening of February 5, two of the older children went to a family friend and alerted the friend about the situation, and the friend called the Village of Liberty Police Department.

State and Village police then responded. Police believe when the children were at school, Jorge used a shotgun to kill Ramona. The gun was found near the body in the heavily wooded area on February 6. An autopsy confirmed that she was killed by a gunshot wound.

The family had lived in Liberty for about three months. Before that, they lived in Monticello. With Jorge now in the county jail, Child Protective Service is working out how the children will be cared for.