PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) – The 27-year-old mother found dead in her estranged husband’s apartment was stabbed to death, authorities said Wednesday.

Michelle Townsend had been stabbed multiple times, Berkshire County District Attorney David Capeless said.

Police have charged her estranged husband, Seymour Townsend, with her murder. Townsend has remained at large since his wife’s body was discovered Monday in his Pittsfield apartment.

Capeless said Michelle Townsend was reported missing by relatives and friends on Saturday.

Although the couple was separated, friends and relatives said the two continued to have a relationship because of their four children.

The children, according to family and friends, had been living with Michelle Townsend’s mother in Berkshire County.