Indiana man allegedly dismembered girlfriend's body after she died

FOWLER, Ind. - A western Indiana man allegedly dismembered his girlfriend’s body and put her remains in trash bags after she died earlier this month, authorities said.

Edward A. Bagwell, 60, is charged with abuse of a corpse and failure to report human remains. He’s being held at the county jail in lieu of $300,000 bond.

After Bagwell’s girlfriend, Rita Spigner, died in early July he allegedly cut off her legs and stuffed her torso in one trash bag and her legs in another, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by prosecutors, the (Lafayette) Journal & Courier reported.

Benton County deputies arrived at Bagwell’s home in Ambia, a small Benton County town just east of the Illinois border, on July 3 and found Spigner’s bagged remains.

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Bagwell told Indiana State Police detectives that after he and Spigner smoked methamphetamines she began acting erratically and scratching at his leg, the affidavit states.

He said he slapped Spigner in the head to get her to stop, but she fell and began convulsing and he later found her dead, court records state.

Edward Bagwell | Benton County Sheriff’s Department

Bagwell told officers he used his electric chain saw to cut off Spigner’s legs and placed them in one trash bag, and Spigner’s torso in another, according to the affidavit.

An autopsy showed that Spigner died from heart troubles.

Online court records do not list an attorney for Bagwell who could speak on his behalf.