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Man Named a Suspect in His Missing Wife's Murder, Jumps Off Cliff to Evade Authorities

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Photo by CarbonNYC via Flickr

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Authorities have been building a case against the husband of a Lomita woman who has been missing for 16 months and is believed dead, and this morning that man attempted to evade the police by jumping off a cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes. 47-year-old David Viens was upgrade to a suspect in the case of his missing wife. Now he is listed in critical condition after plunging about 80 feet near the Point Vicente Interpretive Center, according to the Daily Breeze.Yesterday, the Daily Breeze published an article reporting him as a "person of interest" and included details about evidence found inside the couple's former home, including blood spatter. Viens wife, Dawn, has been presumed murdered, though her body has not been located.

Although David Viens had been named a suspect, the authorities were looking for him, though they did not plan to arrest him. He was spotted in his vehicle, then he sped towards the cliffs. He and his girlfriend got out of the car, struggled, and were ordered to separate by the authorities. It was then Viens jumped the fence and jumped off the cliff.

It was the jumping--considered a suicide attempt--that sealed his fate. Viens will be arrested for murder, because, as a Sheriff's representative says: Suicide shows some consciousness of guilt."

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