Maine State Police say a 65-year-old Lubec man killed his girlfriend this week, fled to Virginia and was arrested there and charged in her slaying.

Paul DeForest Photo courtesy of Fauquier County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Department

Paul DeForest was taken into custody in Warrenton, Virginia, on Tuesday and is charged with murder in the death of Eva Cox, 58. The couple shared a home on Jim’s Head Road in Lubec, state police said.

Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office went to the home Monday after they received information that there had been a fight there.

When deputies arrived, they found evidence outside that something suspicious had occurred and called the state police major crimes unit to investigate. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the home, and on Tuesday, the search for Cox and DeForest expanded to the areas around the home.

The broader search led to a vehicle parked nearby. Inside the trunk, detectives found a dead woman believed to be Cox.

An autopsy will be completed in the coming days and the Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to confirm the woman’s identity.

Police said they developed more information about Cox’s death and a judge granted an arrest warrant charging DeForest with murder. Police found him at a home in Virginia, and after a brief negotiation with local police over the phone, DeForest surrendered without incident, police said.

He was being held on a fugitive-from-justice warrant and is expected to be extradited back to Maine in the coming weeks.