Missouri Ex-Officer Charged in Wife's Murder, Kidnapping 10 Months After Killing

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 8

Jonathan G. Houston, 44, was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping after Missouri deputies say he killed his wife, Aunika Houston, 37, and held seven children at a hotel.
A whispered 911 call from one child led deputies to the Baymont Inn & Suites in Kingdom City on Sunday, where the child said her father had captured the siblings and abused them for years.
Charging documents say some children witnessed the strangling 10 months earlier, and Houston forced two of them to help abuse their mother while others were locked away or told to drown out her screams.
Investigators say Houston admitted planning the killing in advance, then put his wife's body in a trash bag and dumped it in a hotel dumpster; she had never been reported missing.
Houston is jailed without bond, the children are in protective custody, and deputies say he is also being investigated for alleged sexual assault and other assaults.

Sources

How did a former parole officer hide his wife's murder and abuse seven children in a public hotel for months?

Why did no one notice a mother of seven missing for ten months while her family lived in plain sight?

Did the suspect's background in the justice system give him the exact knowledge needed to evade child welfare authorities?

3 total