High-ranking Air Force officer arrested in disappearance of wife

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- A high-ranking Air Force officer was arrested Sunday while authorities continue to search for his wife.

Air Force Maj. Andre McDonald, 40, is charged with tampering with evidence after deputies found an ax, shovel, heavy duty trash bags and jugs of gas inside his home. Deputies say McDonald tried to destroy the receipt for the items, which they say were purchased to dispose of his wife's body.

McDonald's wife, 29-year-old Andreen Nicole McDonald, was reported missing Friday, March 1 after she did not show up to the gym or her residence, deputies say.

The 40-year-old McDonald was taken into custody after authorities feared he might kill himself with a gun he tried to buy Saturday. According to deputies, McDonald was in such a hurry after purchasing the gun, that he left the firearm and his identification behind.

"At this point, I think it's safe to say we are considering him a suspect in the disappearance," Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said. "I think it's safe to say that it's a very real possibility that she could have been harmed physically during some of this."

Sheriff Salazar also said McDonald was not cooperating with their investigation and asserted his rights and retained the use of an attorney.

Authorities tell KSAT-TV that there is a possibility that Andreen is still alive, which is why it is still being described as a missing person's case. She is described as being 5 feet 11 inches tall with brown eyes and black hair.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.