SMYRNA — Smyrna police are searching for Derrick McLaurence Williams in the death of his wife, and they say he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact investigators at (770) 434-6666.

In two warrants for his arrest, investigators say Williams, 30, choked his wife to death sometime between 1 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Dec. 5, then cleaned the body, wrapped it in bedding and left it on a bed. He moved her car from the front of her home in the 2200 block of Old Spring Road to the back, then left without calling police.

Williams apparently told friends and family that his wife had died of an overdose and wanted them to report her death to police, according to one warrant. She had been beaten all over her body, and an autopsy showed she was strangled, the warrant said.

He is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault and concealing a death, all felonies, and a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana.

In August, Williams was sentenced to 12 months of probation on battery and other charges relating to his wife. He was ordered to have no violent contact with her and to complete the family violence intervention program.

Smyrna Police Officer Michael Smith said there was no indication that anyone else was in the home at the time of the killing, and no one else was there when police, responding to a 911 call, arrived there on the afternoon of Dec. 5 and found the woman deceased.

As of Monday afternoon, investigators had no leads on Williams’ whereabouts. Smith said Williams was married to the victim.

The YWCA of Northwest Georgia Inc. operates a 24-hour crisis line for victims of domestic violence. The number is (770) 427-3390.

But Holly Comer, CEO and executive director of the YWCA of Northwest Georgia, advised anyone in immediate danger to call 911.

“It’s best to have the police come so there’s a record,” she said. “We’re here for the safe haven, but the first step is to call law enforcement.”