The Callaway County Sheriff's Office has identified a woman allegedly killed by her husband nearly 10 months ago at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Kingdom City.
Aunika Houston, 37, was identified as the woman whose husband, Jonathan Houston, is charged with her murder. The couple's seven children were found at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Kingdom City after one of them called 911, according to a news release from the Callaway County Sheriff's Office.
Jonathan Houston, 44, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping, which investigators learned about after receiving a 911 call from one of their children, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting.
The child was whispering on the phone and said her father had captured her and her six siblings for five years while physically abusing them, according to court documents.
Deputies responded to Baymont Inn & Suites in Kingdom City, where police made contact with Jonathan Houston and entered his hotel room.
One of the victims said Jonathan Houston told her he planned to kill her mother, who was also his wife, according to court records. The kid also allegedly witnessed her mother's strangulation, according to court records.
Jonathan 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.
Jonathan Houston remains in the custody of the Callaway County Jail and is being held without bond following court orders.
Aunika Houston was originally from California, but is believed to have been living in mid-Missouri for the past several years, according to the news release.