PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A man has been charged with murder after a woman was found dead inside a Providence home early Tuesday morning.

Police responded to the Parkis Avenue home around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and circumstances outside led them to enter the apartment, according to Providence Police Major David Lapatin.

Inside, officers found Nathan Cooper, 53, who shares the apartment with 40-year-old Sherbert Maddox. Cooper was taken in for questioning.

A search warrant was obtained and officers then found Maddox dead.

“She was wrapped in several layers of types of saran wrap, towels, blankets, and then she was placed in a refrigerator,” Lapatin said.

According to Lapatin, it appeared that Maddox was shot before she was put in the stand-up refrigerator. Her body was taken to the medical examiner’s office.

Lapatin said Maddox could have been killed any time between Sunday and when she was found on Tuesday.

Cooper has since been charged with murder, and Lapatin said other charges are forthcoming.

Detectives found a handgun, which they allege was the murder weapon, along with a rifle inside the home.

(Story continues below video.)

Lapatin said it’s believed that Cooper and Maddox were dating.

“Our investigation shows he did have some violent tendencies toward her in the past,” he added.

Toni Marie Gomes, executive director of the R.I. Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said she’s heartbroken by Maddox’s death, adding that her life “was stolen by a person who had a history of domestic abuse.”

“Maddox was known as a beautiful soul by her loved ones, and this devastating loss of life leaves a profound emptiness in the hearts of her friends and family and the entire community,” Gomes said. “Our hearts ache for those who will continue to be impacted by this violence and the void it has left in their lives.”

Cooper was ordered held without bail during his arraignment Wednesday.