In a tragic turn of events, a Colorado woman who had been embroiled in a bitter custody battle has been extradited from the United Kingdom to face serious charges in the United States. Authorities have confirmed that Kimberlee Singler, aged 37, is accused of murdering her two young children during a dispute with her former husband, a case that has captured widespread attention.

The announcement of Singler’s return to Colorado came from District Attorney Michael Allen, based in Colorado Springs. Singler now faces a range of charges, including two counts of first-degree murder. Her initial court appearance is expected in the coming days, as the legal proceedings begin to unfold.

This grim saga began in December 2023, when Singler was apprehended in London, just days after the bodies of her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son were discovered in their home in Colorado Springs. A third child, an 11-year-old daughter, survived the incident despite injuries. In a shocking revelation, the surviving child reportedly told an investigator that her mother claimed divine instruction as the motive behind her actions, according to court documents in the UK.

Initially presenting herself as a victim, Singler had superficial knife wounds and alleged that an intruder was to blame for the horror that unfolded in their home. Her surviving daughter initially supported this narrative. However, the story took a turn on December 26, 2023, when the police sought to arrest Singler after the daughter altered her account of events.

By the time authorities moved to detain her, Singler had vanished. She was located just four days later in the affluent Chelsea district of London, where she was subsequently arrested. The reasons behind her presence in such a location remain unclear, adding another layer of mystery to this harrowing case.

“Today really is a significant milestone in this criminal investigation,” Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said at a news conference. “Singler is accused of committing an unthinkable act. … I know these acts have deeply impacted this community, and our hearts remain with the victims.”

Allen said Singler will be held without bond at least until a preliminary hearing on whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed toward trial. That hearing typically is scheduled within 30 days of an initial court appearance, with some exceptions, he said.

Allen said the surviving child, now 13, is expected to be a key witness at trial. He otherwise declined to discuss details of the prosecution’s case beyond procedural steps.

The FBI and Colorado Springs police traveled to London to take custody of Singler, who fought extradition and denied attacking her children.

Her London defense attorney, Edward Fitzgerald, argued that she should not be extradited because if convicted of first-degree murder in Colorado, she would face a mandatory sentence of life without parole – a sentence that violates European human rights law.

Fitzgerald represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his long fight against extradition to face espionage charges in the U.S.

Singler did not yet have a U.S.-based attorney listed as representing her in court documents, according to the court clerk’s office.

A judge rejected Singler’s challenge in January 2025, and her bid for an appeal was denied in November.

Singler also faces one count of attempted murder, three counts of child abuse and one count of assault.

According to U.K. court documents, the children’s bodies were found by police shortly after midnight on Dec. 19, 2023. Police said they found no footprints in the snow leading to a patio where Singler said an intruder entered through an unlocked door and attacked her, causing her to lose consciousness.

She told police that her ex-husband “had previously dreamt about killing his family, that the children’s father was always trying to ‘frame her’ and ‘get her arrested’ and to have the kids taken away from her,” Judge John Zani said in a January ruling against Singler in Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

Police said GPS records showed that her ex-husband was driving a truck about 80 miles (130 kilometers) away at the time of the killings.

The family had been staying with Singler’s mother during the custody battle, but the mother was away at the time, according to court documents in the U.K.

The day before the bodies were found, a judge in Colorado ordered Singler to comply with a previous order to allow the father to take custody of them for the holidays, according to state court records. She was told to either give the children to her ex-husband on her own or bring them to a court hearing Dec. 20, 2023, to exchange custody there.

On the day of the hearing, Singler asked the judge to delay it, saying in a motion that she and her children had been attacked and two of them were murdered. She asked for time to grieve and “gain my bearings after this incident.”