A man was charged Friday with the November slaying of his girlfriend after an autopsy determined she was strangled.
Curtis J. Ellis, 39, called police just after 6 a.m. on Nov. 12 to report that his girlfriend, Shuree Baarsma, was not breathing and did not wake up, documents filed in 3rd District Court say. Police responded to their home near 3300 South and 3600 West and found Baarsma dead.
Baarsma's son later told police he had been at the home the night before and when he left, his mother was alive but was arguing with Ellis, court documents say.
Following a medical examination of the body, officials said Baarsma was found to have died from asphyxiation due to neck trauma. Experts believe she died between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. on that date.
Ellis was charged with one count of criminal homicide, a first-degree felony. A warrant was issued for his arrest. Ellis has no record of any previous criminal activity.