Travis Wolfe has been charged with murdering his girlfriend, Kimberly Stewart, by striking her with the dull side of an ax after an argument outside her Indianapolis home. A friend discovered her body by following the ringtone of her phone late on Tuesday evening. Police arrested Wolfe shortly after, praising community assistance in the quick resolution.
On the 1300 block of South Lynhurst Drive in Indianapolis, Indiana, 51-year-old Kimberly Stewart lived in the main home while her boyfriend, 45-year-old Travis Wolfe, resided in the attached garage. The couple had a history of arguments, including one on Monday over a water pump Wolfe installed in a BMW. A friend described Wolfe as a "psychopath maniac" who threatened to kill people, yelled at neighbors, and carried an ax while doing erratic things in the backyard.
Tuesday brought another dispute. Around 4:30 p.m., a friend who had known Stewart for 10 years and collaborated with her on vehicle sales arrived to pick up a car title but found her absent, though her blue Dodge Nitro was in the driveway. Stewart often slept days due to her overnight shifts at a UPS distributor, so this initially seemed unremarkable.
Concerned, the friend returned near 11 p.m. He noticed Stewart's dog loose outside, which was unusual, and the back door locked. The garage was empty, odd since Wolfe rarely left. Calling Stewart's phone, the friend followed the ringtone to her body lying stiff and cool between a wooden fence and an outdoor spa, with injuries from blunt force trauma.
Indianapolis Metro Police Department officers arrived around 11 p.m. for a report of an unresponsive female and confirmed she had died at the scene. An autopsy determined the cause as blunt force trauma from the dull side of an ax.
Investigators identified Wolfe as the suspect and located him about 12 miles away on East 19th Street and North Drexel Avenue, driving a BMW. He admitted to arguing with Stewart, leaving in her Dodge Nitro, then returning for the BMW due to low gas, but denied striking her. A witness reported seeing a man, later identified as Wolfe, around 10:30 p.m. swinging something toward the ground near the spa while yelling at a dog to "shut up."
Wolfe faces charges of murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. He is held without bond in the Marion County Adult Detention Center. IMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams stated, "Thanks to the relentless work of our detectives and the courage of the community, a dangerous individual is in custody today." One detective worked extended hours to build the case swiftly, aided by community tips.