An 82-year-old man from Michigan has been indicted on murder charges, 37 years after the disappearance of his wife in Will County, Illinois.

Gilbert Bernal Sr., of Flint, Michigan, has been charged with first-degree murder in the suspected slaying of his wife, Joan Bernal, who was last seen alive on Dec. 9, 1988, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office.

He was indicted exactly 37 years after his wife's disappearance, and arrested two days later at his home in Michigan.

After he was extradited to Illinois, he made his first court appearance on Monday, when the indictment was unsealed and he pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is due back in court on Jan. 12 for a detention hearing as prosecutors seek to have him kept in jail while he awaits trial.

Sheriff's officials said Bernal and his wife got into a domestic dispute at their home on Dec. 9, 1988, before a planned family trip to Texas.

The couple had children from previous marriages, as well as one child in common, and sheriff's officials said Joan's ex-husband wouldn't allow their children to go on the trip.

Witnesses saw Bernal beating his wife in their home and dragging her to the back of the home. She was not seen again, and Bernal reported her missing nearly three weeks later, claiming he left her at a bus stop in Oklahoma.

Her body has never been found, but sheriff's officials said the case received new attention last year, when an episode of the Oxygen network television show "Cold Justice" examined Joan's disappearance and the subsequent investigation.