Body found in Maine basement is missing mom, boyfriend charged with murder

The body discovered in the basement of a missing Maine mother’s home this week is in fact hers — and her boyfriend has been charged in her death, according to a new report.

Melissa Sousa’s body was discovered at the Waterville home the 29-year-old shared with her boyfriend, Nicholas Lovejoy, Maine Department of Safety spokesman Steve McCausland confirmed to News Center Maine.

Lovejoy — with whom Sousa had a violent relationship, according to a friend — has been charged with his girlfriend’s murder, according to McCausland.

Tami Tims, a close friend and co-worker of Sousa, previously told local station WGME that Sousa was thinking about leaving Lovejoy.

“She told us that his big thing is ‘Tick, tock, your time is coming,’” Tims said. “He’s said he was gonna kill her. ‘I have two choices. It’s kill you or kill you.’ It was just his way of controlling her.”

“He’s threatened her a lot with guns,” Tims added. “More recent than not. But over the years, he’s been an abusive person in her life.”

Sousa was last seen Tuesday morning, when she dropped her 8-year-old girls off at their bus stop, according to the report.

Lovejoy was busted later that day on an unrelated charge — when authorities stopped his SUV and found a loaded rifle in the vehicle, the outlet reported.

He was also hit with a charge for endangering the welfare of a child, because the children were left alone in their home at the time, according to the report.

He is being held at Kennebec County Jail and is expected to make a court appearance at 3 p.m. Friday.