PLYMOUTH, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — 40-year-old Daniel Barrett is behind bars after police say he turned himself in and admitted he murdered his wife.

A large police presence in Plymouth turned into a death investigation and we’re being told it is a gruesome murder. The criminal complaint highlights a shocking chain of events that began Saturday.

Police say an argument over possible cheating turned violent when Daniel Barrett punched his wife, Mary Barrett, then stabbed her with fire tongs, a knife and a poker which became entangled in her body.

The document goes on to say Daniel took her body to the basement where she was found during Monday night’s search at their Gaylord Avenue home.

“It’s heartbreaking, and it’s sad,” said Mark Totten, from Plymouth.

Jim Byers was a friend of Mary’s. He laid flowers on her doorstep, recalling their fond memories.

“No way, not Mary… It’s crazy because I was just thinking about her over the weekend thinking, ‘I sent her a Christmas card right?’,” said Byers. “Just very sweet the way she would talk, just very caring. She would check in, like I said with my mom passing, she would check in on me, see how I was doing, see if I wanted to go out for coffee or something like that. She was always looking to make people smile.”

Just before 8 Monday night, officers executed a search warrant and found Mary at the end of a bloody trail.

Police say Daniel went to the Plymouth Borough Police Department and told them he killed his wife. The criminal report says he was “emotional and excited.”

The autopsy performed today determined Mary’s cause of death to be from blunt force trauma and the manner of death was homicide.