A California man has been arrested on suspicion of murder charges almost 40 years after his wife's body first went missing.

According to CBS News, police took Marvin Gail Owens into custody earlier this month in Keith County Nebraska, more than 1,000 miles away from the small central California town where he once resided witht he woman.

Deborah Owens was last seen on Nov. 19, 1978 and police suspect her husband disposed of her body soon after committing his heinous crime. The mother of two has never been heard from since that day.

Butte County, Nebraska Sheriff Sgt. Jason Hail said investigators have recovered evidence related to the case from the Oroville home the couple once shared, but he declined to say what those clues might be. He added authorities have also conducted new and recent interviews with the couple's two children, both of whom are now adults that were raised by their father.

"It was important for us to talk to them about things told to them as they grew up about their mom," Hail said. "That's certainly a factor in all of this."

Bail has been set at $1 million for Owens, who remained held at the Lincoln County Jail as late as last Friday. Nebraska police added they soon hope to extradite him to California.

According to Hail, police have long suspected Owens as a primary suspect in his wife's disappearance, but were only recently able to act on their suspicions. Authorities also consider him a suspect in the disappearance of another woman who disappeared around the same time as his wife.

Essie Margarette Hiett was last seen leaving an Oroville card room on the morning of Feb. 13, 1978. Investigators said the woman worked there as a waitress and bartender, but her connection to Owens remains unclear.

Authorities noted it's unclear if Owens has retained an attorney.

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