A father has been accused of shooting his orthodontist wife dead at their plush country club house while their two-year-old daughter was inside the home - before he eluded authorities for 12 hours.
A manhunt was launched for Randolph Maidens, 42, after police responded to a welfare check at his Brentwood, Tennessee home at 5.49pm Sunday and found the body of his wife Rachael, 34.
Authorities said it was not clear who called 911 to ask police to check on the family.
When they arrived at the home in the Governors Club golf community, Maidens was nowhere to be seen. Officers found the couple's two-year-old daughter, Natalie, who was unharmed.
Murdered: Randolph Maidens allegedly killed his wife Rachael Maidens in their gated community home
Brentwood police, helped by a SWAT Team, a K-9 unit and helicopters, launched an overnight manhunt for Maidens and put the gated community on lockdown as they searched the area.
Maidens eventually walked out of the woods behind the back of his house and was taken into custody without incident at 6 am on Monday, ABC News reported.
More...
Boy, 15, on the run after chopping his brother's arms with butcher knife in 'Cain and Abel' slash attack
Mother of two dead after her boyfriend shoots her with a BB gun
Mother accused of abducting her daughter, 5, forced to send child back to Sweden after losing tug-of-love custody battle with father
Brentwood police officials would not comment on a possible motive for the crime, simply stating it was an 'ongoing investigation'.
But one neighbor described how she witnessed Maidens acting bizarrely three weeks ago.
'I saw him running through the woods behind our house, and he a had on a black ski mask and a backpack that looked like a quiver,' the neighbor told WKRN-TV.
Arrest: Maidens fled the home after allegedly killing his wife and leaving their daughter, 2, with her body
Scene: He later emerged from trees at the back of their plush home in Brentwood, Tennessee
Together: Police have not revealed a motive and friends and neighbors said the family had seemed happy
'It was daytime and he was running through the woods... and down to the ravine, right past our house, and I followed him and he laid down in the ravine and pulled off the ski mask.'
When she asked him what he was doing, 'he made some kind of statement that made no sense' before adding, 'Well, I was walking my dogs, I got lost', she said.
Maidens appeared before a Williamson County magistrate judge on Tuesday and was charged with homicide in the death of his wife, the Williamson County Sheriff's Department told ABC News.
He is being held in Williamson County Jail on a $2.5 million bond and will appear in court on May 2.
He has no criminal record but on February 23, he was arrested for driving under the influence and refusing to take a Breathalyzer test, records show.
Hunt: Police deployed helicopters and K-9 units to search for Maidens after the body of his wife was found
Ripped apart: Maidens is in jail on $2.5m bond while the couple's daughter is now with relatives
He was released on $1,500 cash bond and will appear in court on May 29 at 9 a.m. for the charge.
Rachael Maidens owned an orthodontist practice, RM Orthodontics, in Maryland Farms. On Monday, some patients came by to leave gifts and flowers at the closed door.
'I think to say just how sorry I am and I'm going to miss coming to the office and seeing her,' former patient Cindy Bayer told News Channel 5. 'She always had a smile and was always friendly. She obviously enjoyed what she did, so it's a shame that her life's work is gone.'
Mrs Maidens, who grew up in Brentwood, met her husband while practicing in Atlanta for three years.The couple's daughter has been placed with relatives.