GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga.,None — In a 911 call made just 1½ weeks before she disappeared, Nique Leili complained that her husband was holding her against her will.
The woman whose body searchers found in a wooded area near her home, said, "Yes, my husband won't ... refuses to let me leave the house."
Seconds later, her husband, Matt, came on the line and said, "My wife is yelling and screaming and just woke up the children. My name is Matt Leili. I have a tape recording of her." Mr. Leili then tried to convince the operator not to send any officers saying, "I think my wife just is throwing a temper tantrum. I don't think we need the police."
Later, Mrs. Leili got on the phone and told the operator, "You don't need to come. I'll stay in my house all day." Police did show up to the home that day, but made no arrests.
Gwinnett County police have now named Matt Leili as a suspect in his wife's death, although he has not been charged with anything. Mr. Leili reported his wife missing on July 11, two days after she disappeared.
Police reports show he stated that the night before she disappeared, his "wife started packing her suitcase and was yelling back and forth" with him. The report goes on to say the two decided to sleep in separate rooms and his wife calmed down and started unpacking her suitcase.
Then at about 6 a.m., the report says, Mr. Leili looked for his wife and she was gone, leaving behind her "cellphone, keys, car, clothes and wallet." In the report, Mr. Leili said he waited to file the report because he thought maybe she had gone to her family's home.
Police said Mr. Leili is not cooperating with them, and was even refusing to talk with them before his wife's body was found.
Now, would we like him to come in and give a statement and assist us in this investigation? Yes, we would. But we cant jump to the conclusion of his guilt, simply because he hasnt done that yet, said Gwinnett County police Cpl. Jake Smith.
Mr. Leili is also no longer talking with his wife's family.
As a result, they have no contact with the couple's two daughters, who are 12 and 9 years old. On Tuesday, officers went back to Mr. Leili's home to make sure "everyone was OK." Officers told Channel 2's Sophia Choi that they found everyone inside safe, including the girls.
An attorney representing Mrs. Leili's family said he will likely file a petition for custody of the children.
Attorney Noel Benedict told Choi that he was also planning to file an injunction to stop Mr. Leili from gaining possession of his wife's body.
Amy Elk, Nique Leili's sister, told Choi that the family wants to bury her sister and hold a funeral. The family is already planning a vigil Friday night where they found the body.