What would possess a man described as a 'world-renowned neurosurgeon' to kill his wife, herself a respected family doctor and mother of his three children?

That is what investigators in Toronto are trying to piece together after the arrest of Mohammed Shamji, who is being charged with murdering his wife, Elana Fric-Shamji.

Shamji, 40, appeared in court Saturday to face a first-degree murder charge just 24 hours after coroners identified his 40-year-old wife's body that was first spotted a day before beside a river in suburban Toronto.

She was determined to have died from strangulation and blunt force trauma, according to police.

Mohammed Shamji (left), a renowned neurosurgeon, appeared in a Toronto court on Saturday. The body of his wife, Elana Fric-Shamji (right) was identified by coroners on Friday

Shamji has been ordered remanded in custody until December 20, local media reported.

News of the murder and Shamji's alleged complicity has been met with shock in the Toronto area, particularly within the medical community.

The Shamjis were highly regarded doctors whose 12-year marriage produced three children.

Fric-Shamji worked as a family doctor at the Scarborough and Rouge Hospital in Toronto.

Mohammed Shamji (seen left with his wife) was arrested and charged with first-degree murder

Shamji is a neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital and a faculty member at the University of Toronto.

They both had advanced degrees – Fric-Shamji a master's degree in public policy and Shamji a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering - from Duke University in the US.

Police took statements from witnesses who reported hearing the couple arguing at their home.

Law enforcement officials believe that after a loud argument, Fric-Shamji was strangled and struck with a blunt force object in the couple's garage.

Her body was then stuffed into a suitcase and driven to York Region, Ontario, where it was dumped on the side of a river near an underpass.

Coroners say that Elana Fric-Shamji died of strangulation and blunt force trauma. Police believe her husband killed her in the couple's garage after a heated argument

Neighbors told the Toronto Sun newspaper that Elana Fric-Shamji had filed for divorce from her husband and that she was in 'good spirits' in the days leading up to her death because she was 'looking toward her new life.'

The couple' children – Yasmin, 12; Faiza, 9; and Marius, 3 – were placed in the care of her maternal grandparents, according to reports.

The reports of the grisly death are a far cry from images of the couple on their social media accounts, which show a husband and wife enjoying one another's company.

The couple had been married for 12 years and had three children together. Friends say that Elana Fric-Shamji was 'in good spirits' after filing for divorce recently

While the couple kept up an appearance in public of marital bliss, police sources said that they were called to their home on previous occasions

The Shamjis are seen above with two of their three young children. Authorities said that the children have been placed in the care of their maternal grandparents

But sources are also quoted as telling the Toronto Sun that the marriage was marred by previous incidents in which the police were called to the house.

People who knew the victim were shocked at the news. They remember a very popular doctor beloved in the community.