AURORA, CO — A Colorado mother of two was found dead inside a trash can in her own garage, her body wrapped in carpet and concealed beneath a lid, after a frantic three-day search that began with a chilling suicide note and ended with her husband charged with her murder.
The grim discovery of 35-year-old Amber Zaucha’s body was made on July 2, 2019, by police officers who had been called to the family home on a missing person’s report filed by her mother, Betty. The search for Amber had consumed her family for days, but it was the sudden appearance of a handgun inside a previously checked trash bin that sent investigators scrambling back to the garage, where they found the mother’s remains discarded like refuse.
According to police body camera footage obtained by Law & Crime, the investigation unraveled a web of deceit, financial ruin, and a marriage marred by alcoholism and infidelity. Keith Zaucha, Amber’s husband of over a decade, was arrested hours after the discovery and has since been convicted of first-degree murder and tampering with a deceased human body. He is now serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The case began on Saturday, June 29, 2019, when Amber was last seen alive at the family home in Aurora. Her mother, Betty, told police that Amber had a volatile temper and that the couple frequently engaged in violent verbal fights, often fueled by heavy drinking. Betty stated that Amber had a history of 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 on her husband, a source of constant conflict, and that she would often storm out of the house to cool off at her parents’ home, which was just a short walk away.
However, when Amber failed to show up for work on Monday and did not answer her phone, the family grew alarmed. Keith Zaucha initially told investigators that he believed his wife had simply walked away after a fight, a common occurrence in their troubled relationship. He claimed he had taken her car keys to prevent her from driving drunk and that she had left on foot in the middle of the night.
The investigation took a dark turn when Betty presented police with a handwritten note she had found in the family’s garage. The letter, which Betty identified as being in her daughter’s handwriting, was a rambling suicide note. In it, Amber wrote about having “suicide in my mind” and stated that “everyone would be better off if I were dead.”
The note also referenced a fight with her husband and mentioned that she was thankful he had “hired the guns,” a phrase that puzzled investigators.
Despite the ominous note, the initial search of the home yielded few clues. Amber’s purse, wallet, and phone were found inside the house, leading police to question why she would leave without these essential items. Keith Zaucha, in a phone call with police, insisted that Amber had taken her purse with her, a statement that directly contradicted the physical evidence found by officers inside the home.
The discrepancy was a major red flag for investigators. As they continued to search the property, they noticed a large trash can in the garage. Betty told police she had looked inside the bin earlier that morning, lifting a piece of carpet to check for anything suspicious, but had seen nothing.
However, when police returned to the bin just hours later, they noticed a distinct and overpowering odor emanating from the container.
Upon closer inspection, officers found a handgun sitting on top of the carpet inside the trash can. Beneath the carpet, they discovered Amber’s body. The scene was gruesome, with blood splattered on the back of the garage door and on the trash can lid.
Investigators believe that Keith Zaucha shot his wife in the face, wrapped her body in carpet, and stuffed her into the trash can in an attempt to conceal the crime.
The discovery transformed the missing person case into a homicide investigation. Police immediately began searching for Keith Zaucha, who had not been at the home when the body was found. He was located hours later at his sister’s house, where he was taken into custody without incident.
When questioned, Zaucha invoked his right to remain silent, stating that his lawyer had advised him not to speak.
However, it was his sister, Susan, who provided the crucial testimony that would seal his fate. In a tearful interview with police, Susan revealed that Keith had confessed to her that he had shot Amber. She stated that Keith told her he and Amber had been drinking and fighting for days, primarily over financial issues.
Keith had discovered that the house was in foreclosure because Amber had failed to pay the mortgage for six months, and that their utilities had been shut off due to unpaid bills.
According to Susan, the fight escalated when Amber pulled out a gun and struck Keith with it. Keith claimed he then took the weapon away and, in a moment of blind rage, shot her. He told his sister that he “blinked his eyes” and when he opened them, Amber was on the ground with a hole in her face.
He admitted to cleaning up the crime scene and disposing of the body, but claimed he did not remember doing so, citing a severe alcoholic blackout.
The defense team for Keith Zaucha argued that he was suffering from an involuntary blackout due to extreme intoxication and should not be held fully responsible for his actions. They pushed for a reduced charge of manslaughter, claiming that the shooting was not premeditated. However, the prosecution argued that the steps Zaucha took to conceal the body, including wrapping it in carpet and hiding it in the trash, demonstrated a clear consciousness of guilt and an intent to cover up a deliberate act.
The jury deliberated for only a few hours before returning a guilty verdict on both counts of first-degree murder and tampering with a deceased human body. The judge sentenced Zaucha to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Colorado.
The case has left a community in shock, but for the family of Amber Zaucha, the pain is enduring. Her mother, Betty, expressed her devastation in the aftermath of the verdict, stating that her daughter was a loving mother who had been trapped in a cycle of 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 and addiction. The couple’s two children, a 15-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son at the time, were left orphaned by the violence, their lives forever altered by their father’s actions.
The investigation also revealed a history of domestic violence in the Zaucha household. Keith Zaucha admitted to police that the couple’s fights had turned physical in the past, and that they both had issues with alcohol. He described himself as a “psycho” and stated that there was a “very good possibility” he had hurt his wife, even if he didn’t remember it.
This admission, coupled with the physical evidence, painted a picture of a volatile and dangerous relationship that ultimately ended in tragedy.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of domestic violence and the devastating consequences that can result from unchecked anger and substance 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮. The discovery of Amber’s body, hidden in plain sight in a trash can, is a haunting image that underscores the brutality of the crime. Keith Zaucha, now 46, will spend the rest of his life behind bars, a permanent reminder of the night he threw his wife away like a piece of trash.