Louisiana man arrested in connection with wife's 2024 death

Joseph Solar was arrested in Baton Rouge on October 21, 2026, in connection with the death of his wife, Bridget Boutwell. Authorities discovered Boutwell's decomposing body on the living room floor of their North Lark Street home on May 12, 2024. Investigators used fingerprint evidence to identify her.

Solar faces charges of manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and failure to report the commission of certain felonies. Family members noted that Boutwell's daughter was unable to reach her mother around Mother's Day in 2024, and Solar reportedly contacted the daughter two weeks later to state that Boutwell had died.

Solar had previously been arrested in October 2025 for an unrelated incident involving an alleged shooting at a vehicle on I-10.