Husband Accused Of Murdering Missing Wife Told Detectives She Left Him ‘Following A Verbal Dispute,’ Police Say

A Florida man is accused of murdering his wife and covering up the crime by claiming she left him after they got into a fight, police said.

On May 30, the daughter of Irene Lanning Xeniti reported her missing. According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, when detectives went to the Pompano Beach residence Xeniti shared with Ian Lanning, he told detectives that his wife “left the home on May 14 following a verbal dispute” and that she “had not returned to the residence since and that she had not made contact with him.”

One neighbor of the couple told WPLG that Lanning “had let us know his ex-wife had been missing for like a month and the last time he saw her was two weeks ago and she had packed up and left.”

Detectives, however, found evidence that indicated Xeniti and her husband were traveling together on May 20 and that her phone was near the couple’s home around 1 a.m. on May 21, according to the sheriff’s office.

A search warrant was executed at the couple’s residence and on the suspect’s car on June 8. “During the search, investigators located evidence that suggested Xeniti had been murdered in the couple’s home and that her body had been disposed of in an unknown location,” the sheriff’s office said.

Lanning was arrested three days later, on June 11, and he faces a charge of first-degree murder.

“She was one of the sweetest ladies to ever walk this planet,” Dianna Painton, the alleged victim’s friend, told WPLG. “She was extremely loving, kind and always happy.”

Police said they have not located Xeniti’s body and ask anyone with information regarding this case or the whereabouts of Xeniti’s remains to contact BSO Homicide Det. Ryan Schnakenberg at (954) 321-4200. If you wish to remain anonymous, please contact Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS (8477), online at browardcrimestoppers.org or dial **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States.