Florida man kills wife, three young children and their dog and lives with their bodies for several days
A 44-year-old man from Florida, a father of three, has confessed to killing his wife, children and their dog inside their home in a Disney-owned town, according to a sheriff. Anthony Todt, his wife Meghan, 42, and their three children Alex, 13, Tyler, 11, and Zoe, 4, were reported missing last week from a gated community of 7,400 people called Celebration, located on the outskirts of Disney Hollywood Studios theme park.
The family's relatives reported not seeing them since January 6, while their neighbors said that they had not spotted the family in the area since mid-December. However, authorities said that Todt, a physical therapist, was replying to the relatives' text messages while he was living with their dead bodies. It was also revealed that he owed creditors $100,000.
Although the exact date, time, and circumstances of the family's death have not yet been revealed, authorities believe that Meghan, the three children and their dog died "sometime toward the end of December," according to the Daily Mail.
A statement was released by the Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson on Wednesday, stating: "I can tell you on December 29, 2019, our office received a request by a family member of Anthony Todt who resides outside of the State of Florida to check the well-being of the Todt family because she had been told they had the flu, and she had not heard from them for two days."
The sheriff said that authorities went to the home on Reserve Place, however, they could not establish a contact with anyone inside. They did not think it to be a cause of concern as Todt, who owns a practice in Connecticut, was known to travel during the week and fly back to Florida during the weekends. Authorities, during the visit, reportedly "did not observe anything suspicious."
However, a concerned neighbor called the authorities on Sunday and they returned to the family's home on Monday. This time the officials obtained a warrant to enter the property and found the family had been "inside the home the entire time." Gibson said: "Deputies discovered four deceased individuals inside." Authorities arrested Todt at gunpoint from their home in front of shocked neighbors.
"The cause of death of the four decedents inside the home is homicide. Anthony has cooperated with the investigation, and he has confessed to killing his wife Megan Todt, 42 years of age…and their three children," the sheriff said.
"Anthony also killed their family dog, Breezy." Todt, after his arrest, was also taken to hospital as he made comments about harming himself after taking some pills. He was later released and is currently in police custody. Todt is now facing multiple counts of homicide and a felony count of animal cruelty.
The family had recently moved to Celebration, Florida from Colchester, Connecticut. They had lived in Florida for two years and were served with an eviction notice on December 22, according to court documents.