Maine Engineer Accused of Killing Yoga Teacher Wife During Visit to Parents' House

A Belfast, Maine, man is accused of killing his wife and injuring his mother during a visit to his parents’ home. 

The LinkedIn page of Samuel Whittemore, 34, claims he is a former SpaceX engineer. The LinkedIn page describes him as a “passionate engineer and sailor,” with a host of intriguing life and work experiences that span the globe.

Margaux Whittemore was a yoga instructor whose Instagram feed is full of colorful shots of the couple’s travels across the world. The Instagram account also shows photos of their wedding day.

According to a statement from the Maine State Police, the couple had been visiting Samuel’s parents in Readfield, Maine, when the violence ensued. (Samuel’s father was not home at the time, but arrived home shortly thereafter.) 

Police were called around 10:02 a.m. on Feb. 19, for an incident at a house on Giles Road, per the statement. Officers discovered Margaux, 32, dead outside the home, and soon also found Samuel’s mother, Dorothy, 67, injured inside the residence, per the statement. 

Dorothy was quickly taken to Central Maine Medical Center, where she was first listed in critical condition. Her condition has been “upgraded” since then, per police.

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Samuel allegedly fled but was tracked down by a trooper a short time later, according to the statement. He was then transported to Maine General Hospital for evaluation and taken to Kennebec County Jail and charged with murder. 

After an autopsy on Thursday morning, Margaux’s manner of death was ruled a homicide. Her cause of death has not been released and authorities have not discussed a motive.

Samuel is slated to appear in court on Friday, Feb. 21. It’s unclear if he has retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

PEOPLE reached out to SpaceX and the Maine State Police for comment but did not immediately hear back.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.