Man charged after allegedly telling police he brutally killed his wife in Bethlehem, Pa.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (WPVI) -- A man is charged with brutally killing his wife in their Bethlehem, Pennsylvania home.

James Frank allegedly cut his wife's throat with a steak knife and then beat her with a hammer and mallet to make sure she was dead, the Northampton County District Attorney's Office said.

Police found Deborah Glaser's body Tuesday morning when they went to the 2100 block of 3rd street for a welfare check after Frank had not shown up for work for several days.

Investigators say Frank opened the door, told officers what happened, and said Glaser's body was in the bathroom.

Police also found knives, razor blades, a box cutter, a hammer, and a mallet nearby.

District Attorney Stephen Baratta says the details of this case are beyond disturbing.

"It was gruesome and, on a very human level, upsetting - especially given that it's a domestic situation," he said.

Baratta says what remains unclear is the motive, and when the murder took place.

"At this point, that is still under investigation. We can't confirm how long she had been dead, but it was pretty clear that it was many hours," he said.

Frank was arrested and charged with criminal homicide.