Cape Coral neighborhood shaken by 2 murders the same week

Two women murdered—in the same week: Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz.

Cape Coral police have confirmed that Wade Wilson, the person of interest in both killings, is in custody. Now, they’re painstakingly building their case.

People who live in the neighborhood say they’re still shaken by the grim discovery of a body, now confirmed to be that of Diane Ruiz, in a wooded area behind their homes.

“In the afternoon, we kinda knew as soon as we saw all the police, or had a feeling,” said neighbor Richard Sanzari.

The family of Melton told WINK News they are doing their best to remember her life and not the way it ended. In a statement, the family said:

“She was the glue that held our family and friend group together. She was stunning, but her beauty paled by her character.”

We saw detectives going door-to-door on Friday in the neighborhood where they found Ruiz.

“Today they came up and wanted to know if we saw anything Monday night. They said they have a murder. They might have somebody that they caught, but they’re still investigating,” said Sanzari.

Bill Alexander lives right behind where Ruiz’s body was found.

“When I continued to ride my bike around, I caught myself looking in canals, not getting off and searching, just looking. Little did we know, she was right next door,” he said.

He says his neighborhood is full of dirt roads and construction.

One neighbor who wished to remain anonymous said he noticed a black car in the wooded area, but didn’t think anything of it. Was it possibly the black Nissan police are asking for information about? Another neighbor says it could be.

“It’s construction workers, you know, they park in the shade. So if anyone did see that car, they might just think, you know, it’s part of the construction. I just wish I saw something; that I could help.”

As of Friday, we still don’t know the person responsible for the murders.