Who is Adam Price? Fugitive Nebraska dad arrested for killing son, 3, and daughter, 5, amid bitter divorce
BELLEVUE, NEBRASKA: A man was arrested after his two young children were found dead at his Nebraska home. The children had been staying with him for a court-ordered visitation amid a custody battle with his estranged wife. The accused, Adam L Price, was arrested more than 1,600 miles away in Pacifica, California.
Price, 35, was taken into custody hours after the bodies of his 5-year-old daughter, Emily Price, and 3-year-old son, Theodore Price, were found on Sunday morning, May 16, at the father’s home at Bellevue, south of Omaha, according to a police report.
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The police department has not disclosed how the children died, but said the deaths were being treated as ‘suspicious’. According to a statement from Bellevue Police, officers were dispatched to Price’s home twice over the weekend — once on Saturday evening, May 15, and again on Sunday, May 16, just before 9 am. The children’s mother and Price's wife, who lives in Illinois, had asked Bellevue police to check on their welfare after she was unable to reach them or their father. The police were called to the house for the third time after 11 am on Sunday, May 16, after someone found the children’s bodies. At that time, Price was not present at the home.
The mother of the deceased children, Mary C Nielsen, posted on Facebook: "I’m so sorry to see you two go. You did not deserve this and I love you so very much. I would fight a thousand fights to have you back again. Heaven gained two beautiful angels and I hope great-grandpa was at the gates to greet you. You were the only reason I survived everything I did and the only reason I am alive. I love you. Til we meet again my sweet babies."
"We were fighting for custody in court. I’ve spent every penny I have to try and get custody of my babies full time," Nielsen told The Daily Beast. Nielsen said that she and Adam were in the process of getting divorced and that the children were at their father’s home for a weeklong court-ordered visitation.
Price was arrested on Sunday evening, May 16, in Pacifica near San Francisco. The father awaits extradition to Nebraska. He was expected to appear in court on May 18. He was held on a felony fugitive arrest warrant. Deputy Sarpy County Attorney Bonnie Moore stated that Price is under arrest for two counts of Felony Child Abuse resulting in death, which is a Class 2A felony.
Nielsen described her husband to Lincoln Journal Star as "abusive, controlling and manipulative". Nielsen, who had moved to Illinois with the children, called police more than once and went on social media to plead for information on her children’s whereabouts after not hearing from them since May 13. Nielsen stated that her husband was under court order to provide her daily communication with the children during his visits.
Bellevue police went to Price’s home in the 2700 block of Alberta Avenue twice at Nielsen’s request to check on the children but left when no one answered the door. Department spokesman Captain Andy Jashinske said in a news release that officers didn’t have sufficient reason to force an entry into the home. One of Nielsen’s friends went to Price’s home after she requested to check on her children. The friend called the police after finding the children’s lifeless bodies.
A GoFundMe page has been created by Nielsen's friend saying, "Emi and Teddy were some of the sweetest most loving children and did not deserve to leave the earth this way. Not only does Mary have this burden but she now has 2 funeral expenses to cover. Please help me eliminate some of this stress in making sure she does not have to cover these costs. Any amount is greatly appreciated. The babies have to be transported from Nebraska to Illinois which comes at a heavy cost on top of everything else." The page raised $31,528 of the $40,000 goal at the time of writing this article.