The former husband of a woman who was found dead in a Delaware river more than three years ago is accused of attacking his current wife on New Year’s Day.
On Sunday around 1:50 p.m., New Castle County Police were called to the 100 block of Camp David Road in Wilmington, Delaware, for a report of a domestic dispute.
When they arrived they were met by a 54-year-old woman who told them she had an argument with her husband, 55-year-old Benjamin Ledyard, about loud music. During the argument, Ledyard allegedly grabbed a pool stick and began chasing his wife around the house while swinging it. Police said Ledyard then struck his wife in the head with a heavy marble item, leaving a large laceration. Ledyard’s wife then left the house to call for help.
Ledyard was arrested and charged with assault, terroristic threatening and menacing. He was also charged with assault in connection to a previous incident over the summer in which he allegedly bit off his wife’s fingertip during a fight.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Ledyard was remanded to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in lieu of $77,000 cash bail.
The murder of Ledyard’s former wife, 50-year-old Susan Ledyard of Wilmington, Delaware, remains unsolved.
The woman’s body was found in the Brandywine River in the area of Northeast Boulevard in Wilmington on the morning of July 23, 2019. She had visible injuries to her body and investigators determined she died from blunt force trauma and drowning. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Later that morning, Susan Ledyard’s black 2016 Honda Civic was found parked next to the Rising Sun Lane Bridge over the Brandywine River, about three miles upriver from where her body was found. Based on the timeline and the course of the river, investigators don’t believe Susan Ledyard entered the Brandywine River where the vehicle was parked.
Investigators used surveillance footage in the area and Susan Ledyard’s cell phone records to create a partial timeline of her activities prior to her death.
Police said she was active on her cell phone during the night and early morning before her death, texting and calling friends until 2:45 a.m. on July 23. At 3:02 a.m. that morning, her car pulled out of the driveway of her home and was parked on Walkers Mill Road about two minutes later.
Detectives determined Susan Ledyard was alive until approximately 7 a.m. on July 23 though they have not determined her whereabouts between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. or what caused her to leave her home.
Benjamin Ledyard was involved in the searches for Susan Ledyard when she went missing.
“Susan was the love of my life,” he said while fighting back tears during a press conference in 2019. “My best friend.”
Susan Ledyard’s sister told NBC10 her family is aware of Benjamin Ledyard’s recent arrest for allegedly assaulting his current wife. She also said they haven’t spoken with him in three years and wouldn’t comment on his current charges.
The family continues to offer a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Susan Ledyard’s death. If you have any information on her death, please call Detective Daniel Grassi of the Homicide Unit at 302 365-8441 or email him at daniel.grassi@delaware.gov.
