A Kingdom City man and former correctional officer was arrested and charged Monday for allegedly killing his wife 10 months prior.
Jonathan G. Houston, 44, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in the woman's death, which investigators learned about after receiving a 911 call from one of his kids.
The kid was whispering on the phone and said her father had captured her and her six siblings for five years and physically abused them, according to court documents.
Deputies responded to Baymont Inn & Suites in Kingdom City, where police made contact with Houston and entered his hotel room.
They discovered seven children, and one of the victims told deputies that Houston had allegedly killed his wife in December while they were present in the room, according to court documents.
Another child said Houston told her he planned to kill her mother, who was also his wife, and the kid allegedly witnessed her strangulation, according to court records.
Houston allegedly directed one child to pour hot water down the victim's legs while she was being strangled and another covered her mouth, according to court documents.
Prior to this, he allegedly put the three youngest children in the bathroom and played music to muffle the victim's screams, according to court records.
Houston allegedly disposed of the body in a trash bag that was tossed into a dumpster on hotel property, according to the probable cause statement.
She was never reported missing, and during an interview with investigators, Houston admitted to killing his wife and planning it ahead of time, according to court documents.
The Chief Deputy of the Callaway County Sheriff's Office Curtis Hall said that there is no public threat to the community.
"There is no danger to the community. This seems to be an act of domestic violence and it's very unfortunate for everybody involved."
Houston is also under prior investigations for sexual assault and the assault of other victims.
He is currently being held in the Callaway County Jail on no bond.
His first appearance in court was at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, and a bond hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 13.
"At this point we're 48 hours afterwards on a crime that were already 10 months behind on", said Hall "We have to be mindful of what we can release and what we should release"
The victim's names will be officially released in court documents Tuesday.