Officers responded to Fairman’s home on May 9 to conduct a welfare check after her nephew reported Fairman was supposed to have taken a trip to Florida.

Officers found Fairman, a 53-year-old administrator at Virginia Commonwealth University, in a tub in her bathroom. There was an appearance of ligature marks on her wrist, the affidavit said. A steak knife from Fairman’s kitchen was found on a sink across from the tub, along with a rubber glove, a phone charging cord and a wet bandanna that appeared to have blood on it.

Police found what they believed to be blood in the bed in the master bedroom and on the pillows. The front and back door of the house were unlocked, with no sign of forced entry. The doctor who performed her autopsy found that the cause of death was asphyxia and noted that her hands had been bound.

After learning of her complaint about the deck, Richmond police Detective James Baynes called the owner of C&C and Son Landscaping and Pressure Wash, which Clark listed as his employer of a year on several recent court documents. In the affidavit, Baynes said he asked the owner if he had left anything at Fairman’s home.