Deputies Find Dead Woman in Lakeside

Man tells deputies he may have killed his wife

San Diego County Sheriff's homicide detectives are searching for answers after a man walked up to deputies and claimed he killed his wife.

At 1 p.m. on Wednesday a Lakeside man walked into the Santee station and said he thought he killed his wife, detectives said.

Deputies checked the home in the 11000 block of El Nopal Rd. and found the body of a woman inside. They have not identified the woman.

Soon after, deputies arrested Andy Welch, 45, on one count of murder.

Neighbors said the couple was recently married and seemed to be happy. One neighbor said the wife peeled out of the driveway on Tuesday and seemed to be very angry.

Friends identified the victim as Tonya Welch, a long time resident of east county.

The 43-year-old woman leaves behind six children -- between the ages of 9 and 27.

Her oldest son told NBC San Diego that he was surprised Andrew Welch did this.

On her Facebook page, she wrote about how much she loved her husband two weeks before the murder.

The couple had just celebrated their first anniversary in September.

Sheriffs cleared the scene at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday. It's unclear how Toya Welch was killed and investigators have not released a motive. 

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