FAYETTE COUNTY, GA -- A Fayette County man was apprehended in Covington, Louisiana after confessing to his family he killed his wife, burned her body, and buried it in a shallow grave.

WSB’s Veronica Waters was at a news conference on Thursday afternoon as Fayette County Sheriff Barry Babb announced the arrest.

He stated that on August 20, Kenneth Hardin Jr. and his wife, Carrie Hardin, engaged in a domestic dispute early in the morning.

On August 21, Hardin confessed to family members that he shot his wife, burned her body, and was going to leave town.

Hardin claims he killed his wife in self-defense.

Around 11 a.m. that same day, Hardin’s father contacted the Fayette County Dispatch Center to report the incident. FCSO deputies and investigators went to the couple’s home at 145 Merlin Court Fayetteville, GA. They found evidence that validated the father’s statement.

Fayette County detectives were able to track and locate Hardin’s car in Covington, Louisiana and worked with multiple agencies to locate and arrest Hardin who was hiding out in a motel room.

Back at the couple’s residence, detectives and cadaver dogs discovered the shallow grave in a wooded area. They uncovered Carrie Hardin’s partially burned remains under yard debris.

Fayette County Detectives are still in Louisiana questioning Hardin and investigating the case.

Hardin is booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center and is currently awaiting extradition to Georgia.