A Colorado man was arrested this week after being accused of killing a woman he shared children with and stuffing her body into a trash can. The Colorado 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office confirmed that Thomas Perale has been charged with first-degree murder, violation of a protection order/domestic violence, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. He was hit with the charges for his alleged involvement in the death of his former partner, Annette Marie Valdez, according to 9News, CBS News and The Denver Post. Valdez's body was found in a park in Westminster, Colorado, on December 4, according to police. 9News and Denver7 also reported that her body was found left in a trash can. Prosecutors believe that Valdez died sometime between November 28 and December 4. Meanwhile, CBS News reported that she had been missing for several days before her body was eventually discovered. Celeste Rivas' Body Found in D4vd's Car: Everything We Know So Far The Westminster Police Department confirmed that Perales was arrested on December 5. The arrest took place after several witnesses said they saw Perales moving a body wrapped in blankets through the area, according to an affidavit viewed by 9News. Valdez's brother, Adam Larson, also said he heard that Perales was seen "pushing her around in a shopping cart to get her from place to place," per the outlet. Meanwhile, family members confirmed that Perales has been homeless for at least two years. When he was interviewed by detectives, Perales claimed he "blacked out" during an argument with Valdez on Thanksgiving, per News9. He allegedly said that he placed his hand over her mouth and held her in a headlock. Once Perales noticed Valdez was unresponsive, he retrieved a trash can from behind a Safeway and used it to get her body out of the apartment where the altercation took place. "You know I killed my wife and paraded her around?" Perales told officers, according to the outlet. The coroner has since confirmed that Valdez suffered injuries to her neck area that were consistent with trauma sustained before her death. However, the decomposition of her body limited the preliminary assessment. Police indicated that Valdez and Perales knew each other prior to the incident, and her family told 9News that they shared children together. While it's been confirmed that Valdez was a mother of three children, it's not clear how many of the children she shared with Perales. "We've tried so much to get her away from him," Larson told News9. "Every single time she went right back [saying,] 'That's my kids' father.'" JonBenet Ramsey Doc Debunks Theories Her Parents Were Involved in Her Murder Following Valdez's death, her three daughters are now staying with extended family. "Their mom was gone and it's about to be Christmas," Larson's wife told News9. "We don't even know what to say to them right now." The Valdez family is currently raising money to cover funeral costs through a GoFundMe page. Once they receive enough money to pay for the funeral, all remaining funds will go to Valdez's children. It is not currently clear if Perales has retained an attorney or if he has entered pleas. The Westminster Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly's request for comment.