A former correctional officer allegedly killed his wife in front of their seven children and forced some of them to help, according to Missouri authorities.
Jonathan G. Houston, 44, was arrested after one of his children called 911 from a Missouri hotel. The child whispered to dispatchers that she and her siblings had been kidnapped and were regularly abused by their father, according to charging documents obtained by KOMU.
When police arrived Sunday at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Kingdom City, one child told investigators that Houston had strangled their mother in front of the children about 10 months earlier, authorities wrote.
According to the charging documents, Houston allegedly held his wife by the throat while forcing one child to pour hot water over her legs and ordering another to cover her mouth to suppress her screams.
He allegedly locked the three youngest children in a bathroom and played loud music to prevent them from hearing their mother being killed, court records state.
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Houston allegedly placed his wife’s body in a trash bag and threw it into a dumpster on the hotel property. The woman, whose identity has not been released, was never reported missing.
Houston told investigators that he killed his wife and had planned the murder in advance, according to the charging documents. Police are also investigating him in connection with an earlier alleged sexual assault and assaults involving other victims.
Officials said no additional details were immediately available.
“At this point we’re 48 hours afterwards on a crime that we’re already 10 months behind on,” Curtis Hall, chief deputy of the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office, told KOMU. “We have to be mindful of what we can release and what we should release.”
Houston faces charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping. He is being held without bond.
The children were placed in protective custody, police said.