Plano man arrested after wife found dead in Lewisville Lake

PLANO, Texas - A Plano arrested just days after his wife was found dead in Lewisville Lake was out of jail on bond for a child sex charge.                

32-year-old Sarah Dudley was reported missing on Saturday, June 24. Her body was found along the shore of the lake near a camping area in Hidden Cove Park in The Colony on Monday.

Sarah’s husband, 37-year-old Karlton Dudley, was arrested Wednesday for abuse of a corpse without legal authority in connection to his wife's death.

"During an interview with Mr. Dudley, he described an item that was missing from the apartment, which was one of the items found in the photographs described by Colony PD as being discovered with the deceased body," said Detective Jerry Minton with Plano PD. 

Plano police are not saying what that item is at this time.

Karlton also told detectives that he spent time with his wife early Saturday afternoon before he went to a friend's house to take care of their cat. When he returned home around 4 p.m., Karlton said Sarah was gone. He assumed she went to work.

Karlton told investigators he decided to take his kayak to Hidden Cove.

"He claimed he couldn’t get his kayak to blow up. It's a soft kayak. So he just stayed at the marina for a while and walked around," said Det. Minton.

When Sarah's body was found in the water, investigators began closely looking at Karlton and discovered he had to wear an ankle monitor as part of bond conditions for an aggravated sexual assault of a child case out of Frisco from September 2022.

Detectives downloaded the data, and police say they determined Karlton wasn't entirely truthful with them.

"[The data showed] that he was not just on the shore; he was out on the water somewhere," said Det. Minton.

Minton says based on the circumstances, there was enough probable cause to arrest Karlton for abuse of a corpse.

Brittany Weiskopf is Sarah’s cousin. She said the couple was together for 10 years. 

"He didn’t seem like he was harmful or anything. They seemed very happy," she said.

Weiskopf believes Sarah would have reached out if something was wrong. 

"I think she would have said something to me if she was in any kind of danger or situation that she didn’t want to be in," she said.

Plano police say they are not aware of any domestic violence. 

Weiskopf wants people to know her cousin will be greatly missed. 

"Such a pure soul. So much to offer the world," she said. "It’s just so hard to believe that she’s gone." 

Police are asking for the public's help as they build their case.

"If you actually saw anything unusual someone in the water carrying something let us know," said Det. Minton. "We’re hoping someone may have seen something, not registered at the time. Someone unusual now with this story coming out maybe it can jog their memory."

They are asking anyone at Hidden Cove Park between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday to give them a call.

Sarah's cause of death is still undetermined by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office.

The death is under investigation by the Plano Crimes Against Persons Unit and The Colony Police Department. 

FOX 4 has learned that Karlton Dudley is a former employee of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, working as a Correctional Officer from September 2007 to August 2016. Dudley worked in the Gurney Unit near Palestine, it is no longer in operation.

Police tell FOX 4 that Karlton could face additional charges once the autopsy report is complete. He is currently in the Collin County Jail where he is being held on a $560,000 bond.