The body of a woman found Tuesday in Lake Erie off Dunkirk, New York has been identified as Karen Leclair, the subject of an ongoing murder investigation, Pennsylvania State Police confirmed during a news conference Wednesday night.

Karen Leclair died from a gunshot wound to the head from a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver, investigators said. Her legs were bound together with rope, and a rope tied to a boat anchor to weigh her body down was found around her chest, according to State Police.

Her body was found around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday in the waters of Lake Erie about 6 miles off the shore of Dunkirk.

Dental records were used to positively identify the body, according to investigators.

Her husband, Christopher Leclair, remains in the Erie County Prison without bond on a charge of homicide for her death. 

His father, Ernest Leclair, was arrested around noon Wednesday at his son's residence. Investigators charged him with tampering with physical evidence for attempting to hide the gun used to kill Karen Leclair. During questioning, he admitted to moving the gun, which was recovered at Christopher Leclair's residence. He was arraigned and sent to the Erie County Prison on $25,000 bond.

Erie News Now found State Police investigators on the Doris M late Wednesday afternoon serving a search warrant before Ernest Leclair was charged. They were searching for evidence consistent with the binding, anchors and nylon rope that was used to tie Karen Leclair, State Police said.

The search warrant was among several others requested Wednesday morning. The home of Christopher and Karen Leclair and the motel where Ernest Leclair was staying  were also searched. 

The autopsy on Karen Leclair's body was conducted at the Erie County Medical Examiner's office in Buffalo. New York forensic examiners were involved because the body was found in waters off New York state.

State Police investigators from Pennsylvania and Assistant Erie County, Pennsylvania District Attorney Beth Hirz attended the autopsy.

State Police confirmed to Erie News Now Wednesday morning the body was clothed in a Hawaiian print swim suit. That is the description Christopher Leclair gave the U.S. Coast Guard when rescuers were called out to search for Karen Leclair.

He claimed his wife was ill and fell off their commercial fishing boat, the Doris M, somewhere off shore of the Presque Isle Light House. 

As the investigation progressed, State Police determined Leclair's timeline was false.  They search port authority security camera video that showed the couple departing on their fishing boat the day before - June 10 - and Christopher Leclair returning to port alone. That information and other evidence led to the homicide charge.

In a previous search, investigators also secured DNA from personal items belonging to Karen Leclair in case they would be required for further identification.

Erie News Now was the first to report two weeks ago that a scuba diving team from western New York assisted in a search of the waters in a pattern off New York shores. State police said that search was based on information from the GPS on the Doris M, which provided insight on the boats travels and where to look for Karen Leclair's body.

During an interview with detectives, Christopher Leclair admitted to having an affair with another woman, according to State Police. They also discovered that Christopher Leclair had deleted all text messages between him and the other woman. When questioned by police, the other woman said Christopher Leclair spent the night at her house the day before he reported Karen missing, and the two discussed moving in together. It was also determined that Christopher Leclair drove the woman to a probation appointment the day after search crews were first called out to look for his wife. Police said the woman's interview is a "complete contradiction" to the timeline Christopher Leclair provided.

You can watch the news conference here.

EARLIER COVERAGE