‘She Was Always Smiling’: North Dakota Mother Found Dead in Bathtub After Husband Claimed She ‘Face Planted’

North Dakota authorities found a mother of three, fully clothed, dead in her bathtub after her husband allegedly covered up his drunken physical attack on her by claiming she “face-planted” on the steps of her garage.

Spencer Moen, 31, was charged with the murder of his wife, Sonja Moen, 30, after she was found brutally beaten on August 10 at 7:38 a.m., according to West Fargo Police Department. The autopsy report found the young mother died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Upon arriving at the home, investigators found a trail of blood leading from the couple’s bed to the bathroom, where Sonja was found dead with her eyes swollen shut, Fox News Digital reported.

Spencer made a 911 call claiming his wife had fallen asleep in the bathtub after tumbling down the stairs the previous night.

However, the couple had gotten into a fight after a golf outing, and Spencer admitted to authorities that he “punched his wife three to four times with a closed fist.” Their children allegedly heard their parents “wrestling.”

Former neighbor Brady Zins said he was “shocked but not super surprised” by the incident, according to Valley News.

“I waved to her all the time when I’d come home, but my interactions with him were never great,” Zins told the outlet.

Spencer had also been charged with felony assault in 2019. He pleaded not guilty, and the charges were later dropped.

The investigation is ongoing, but authorities stated that the public should rest easy.

“I want to assure the residents of West Fargo that this is an isolated incident and there is no further threat to the public,” said Chief Denis Otterness. “Our department extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim.”

Sonja’s sister, Elise Smith, created a GoFundMe page to help raise money for her funeral expenses. As of Saturday morning, it has raised over $44,000.

Smith told InForum that her sister was a hard worker, having put herself through nursing school as a young single mother.

Sonja worked as a nurse for Valley Oral Surgery.

“She was always smiling, but what I remember most is how much she loved her children,” a coworker told InForum. “She talked about them all the time, and it was clear they were her world.”