Television producer Bruce Beresford-Redman left Cancun on Friday after being released from custody to meet with his attorney 200 miles west of Cancun. He will remain in Merida, Mexico, under the supervision of the U.S. Consulate's Office until the investigation into the death of his wife Monica is complete.
Bruce Beresford-Redman reported his wife Monica missing April 6, in the resort city of Cancun and was detained as a suspect Thursday, according to the Associated Press. On Friday, he was downgraded to a person of interest and released.
According to sources close to the investigation, Bruce Beresford-Redman was released from custody because there wasn't "sufficient evidence to hold him," but investigators believe he could soon be back in their custody after they finish chasing their leads.
A hotel employee said Monica Beresford-Redman came back to the hotel with two other young women on Sunday night. Later, that employee saw Bruce and Monica Beresford-Redman arguing just outside their hotel room. Monica then entered the room alone at 8:30 p.m.
A hotel guest in an adjoining room said there was a commotion coming from the Beresford-Redman room around 6 a.m. on Monday morning. The hotel staff was notified that the guest heard "a women screaming for help" from within the Beresford-Redman room and the "sounds of furniture being moved or thrown."
A security guard said that a hotel employee called the Beresford-Redman room to check on the complaint and said, "A man answered the phone and said that everything was fine."
On Thursday, Monica's body was found naked and extremely swollen, laying in a gutter in a secluded area of the resort, said a Mexican official.
At a news conference Friday, investigators said they believe Monica Beresford-Redman was strangled. They also said she was not killed at the same location where her body was discovered. Her body had scratches on the neck, signs of asphyxiation and a heavy blow to the right temple, said Francisco Alor, the attorney general for Quintana Roo state, where Cancun is located.
Authorities are waiting for autopsy results which will take anywhere from eight days to three weeks. Mexican officials also announced on Saturday that federal authorities are taking over the autopsy.
"What we need to determine is whether that blow was from falling into the sewer,'' said Alor, adding that authorities had determined she died Monday night.
Bruce Beresford-Redman told police Tuesday that his wife left the hotel the previous day and never returned, said an official who wished to remain anonymous.
NBCLA's John Cadiz Klemack has traveled to Cancun to report on the story. His real-time updates are currently available on his Twitter feed.
Who Is Bruce Beresford-Redman?
Bruce Beresford-Redman was a producer for several episodes of the Emmy-nominated CBS reality show "Survivor," including "The Amazon" and "Marquesas" seasons, but was not currently working with the program, according to his profile on IMDb.com.
The Internet Movie Database also names him as the co-creator of "Pimp My Ride," a popular MTV car makeover show, and as an executive producer for "Crash Course," a driving game show produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions that aired on ABC last summer.
Beresford-Redman was nominated for three Emmys for his work on "Survivor," the long-running reality TV competition that strands tribes of strangers in remote locales to outwit, outplay and outlast each other for a $1 million prize.
Bruce Beresford-Redman worked for reality TV giant Mark Burnett, who produces "Survivor" and is currently producing Sarah Palin's eight-part series about her home state of Alaska.
