For weeks, the Todts’ tidy two-story house in the idyllic Disney-built community of Celebration, Fla., appeared to sit empty as neighbors and loved ones wondered where the family had vanished to.
But on Wednesday authorities revealed the gruesome reality they found hiding behind the door when they finally went inside this week and discovered the bodies of four people and a dead dog.
Dad Anthony Todt, 44, confessed that he’d killed his wife, their three children and their pet pooch, Breezy — and the bodies appeared to have been in the home for several weeks, Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson told reporters at a press conference.
The bodies have not been positively identified, but Gibson said investigators “strongly believe” they are Todt’s wife, Megan, 42, and the couple’s three kids, Alec, 13, Tyler, 11, and Zoe, 4.
Investigators believe the family was killed “sometime towards the end of December,” he said. “Myself, I cannot understand what would cause a person to commit such evil and horrendous acts” Gibson said.
Todt is now facing multiple counts of homicide and a felony count of animal cruelty, the lawman said. Later Wednesday, officers were seen transferring the dad to a patrol car headed to the Osceola County jail.
Wearing a white jumpsuit with greasy, unkempt hair, his appearance was a stark contrast to smiling photos the dad had posted on social media of his seemingly happy family.
Those who knew the Todts described them as loving and devoted parents, but records show they were facing mounting financial and legal problems both at home and at the dad’s physical-therapy practice.
Gibson declined to provide details about how the victims were killed, and Todt’s alleged motive was not clear. The sheriff’s office had been contacted several times in recent weeks by people worried about the family’s whereabouts and visited their property several times — only to leave after no one answered the door, he said.
The first check came when a female relative reached out to the office on Dec. 29, concerned when she could not reach the family for two days after being told they all had the flu. Deputies visited the home that day and spoke with neighbors — but they didn’t observe anything suspicious and left when no one answered the door. In reality, the slain family may have already been inside, Gibson admitted Wednesday.
“It’s not unreasonable to believe that the bodies were there, based on what we’ve seen in the homes and based on [Anthony’s] statements,” he said. “The bodies were inside the home the entire time until we located them on Monday.” On Jan. 9, federal agents contacted the office regarding their own investigation into allegations of health-insurance fraud against Todt.
Sheriff’s deputies again visited the home — only to leave once more after there was no response. Gibson said his office knew the family often traveled and that it was not uncommon for them to be away from their home for long periods of time.
The Todts had roots in Connecticut, where the dad operated the Family Physical Therapy practice in Colchester during the week, returning back to his family on weekends.
“If there’s nothing noted suspicious, there wouldn’t be a reason to go back to the house to check on someone who may have the flu or they just haven’t heard from them in a few days,” Gibson said.
The sheriff and the feds returned on Monday to serve a warrant in the federal case. Finally, Anthony opened the door — and that’s when authorities made the grim discovery inside, Gibson said.
He was briefly taken to a hospital because he had told authorities he wanted to harm himself and had possibly taken an unknown amount of Benadryl, the sheriff said. Todt continued to cooperate with the investigation through Wednesday. In the wake of the news, a Facebook support group created for the family was filled with messages of grief.
“Megan was just the sweetest person…a loving and devoted mother, caring, kind and generous,” wrote one member of the group. “Her beautiful kids were just as sweet and kind as she was. They were devoted parents and active community members.”
Another described Megan as a “deeply spiritual” yoga instructor.
“She was the kindest soul,” the member wrote. “She was quiet and devoted to her family. As was Tony. They were deeply connected and I always thought so much in love.”
But a picture of a family in crisis began to emerge this week.
Todt’s physical-therapy license expired in September, the Hartford Courant reported. And last week, landlords for the office of his practice also began the process of evicting the business from its property, the paper said.
Meanwhile, the couple had been slapped with an eviction notice on Dec. 22 after owing several thousands of dollars in rent at their Celebration home, according to court documents.
And in addition to the federal investigation, the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office was investigating Todt potentially for fraud.
“The Office of the Attorney General can confirm we have an open False Claims Act investigation into Anthony Todt,” said an office spokeswoman, Elizabeth Benton, in a statement. “Beyond that, we are unable to comment or provide further details.”