A father has confessed to killing his wife, three children and dog at home inside their gated community Celebration, owned by Disney World, as they suffered financial problems.
Anthony Todtt, his wife Megan and their children Alex, Tyler and Zoe were reported missing from the community of 7,400 people, on the outskirts of Disney World, last week.
Neighbors hadn’t been seen since mid-December and relatives said they hadn’t heard from them since January 6, but it has emerged Todt, 44, was replying to text messages while living with the dead bodies.
Anthony Todt( left), Megan Todt (right) and their three children, Alek, Tyler and Zoe were reported missing by relatives on January 6. Megan and the three children were found dead in their home on Monday, and neighbors said they saw Anthony being arrested
A neighbor said Anthony was led out of the house at gunpoint before being arrested in front of the house
Osceola County Sheriff’s Office announced they were engaged in a death investigation in the North Village area in Celebration
‘Deputies discovered four deceased individuals inside,’ Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson said Wednesday.
‘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.’
He added: ‘Anthony also killed their family dog, Breezy.’
Police only went to the physical therapist’s home on Monday – a day after a concerned neighbor called them. It’s not clear if the officers had been to the home after family initially reported the Todts missing.
The Daily Beast reports that the Todt’s had recently moved from Colchester, Connecticut, to Celebration, Florida. It’s not clear how long they had lived in the rented home but court documents show the couple had recently been served with an eviction notice.
Anthony runs two physical therapy businesses in Connecticut, but the state says his physical therapy credentials lapsed on September 9, 2019, after they were not renewed.
According to the business’ page, Family Physical Therapy, Megan was a physical therapy instructor at the family’s business. Both Anthony and Megan earned master’s degrees in physical therapy.
After the family were feared missing, a Facebook group titled ‘Looking for the Todt Family’ was created where one family friend wrote: ‘Worried sick! I keep sending them messages on messenger and they are being sent but not delivered. I’m guessing their phones are off. Praying for their safe return.’
A neighbor woman said her husband last saw the family in a packed vehicle on December 15.
‘They are our neighbors and my kids play with them. He speaks to them often when he is walking our dog bc Megan is often out walking theirs. My kids haven’t played with them since before Christmas because they have not seen them outside,’ she wrote.
‘My husband was going to offer them our beach buckets bc he was going to toss them and he assumed they were going on vacation because of the way their vehicle was packed.’
The bodies have the deceased have not been formally identified, but WFTV reports that four bodies were discovered inside the home
On Monday, Osceaola County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they were conducting a ‘death investigation’.
Neighbors told The Daily Beast they saw armed police escort the father, Anthony, out of the home and arrested him at gunpoint.
Family members who set up the Facebook group to search for the Todts while still missing said they had no further information.
‘Please no questions or comments at this time. Please respect our family – we don’t know anymore,’ one relative wrote.
Pictured: Authorities appear to be loading bodies into a hearse outside the home in Celebration, Florida
On Monday, Osceaola County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they were conducting a ‘death investigation’
Osceola County Sheriff Russell Gibson said: ‘This is an isolated incident, and all parties involved with this death investigation are accounted for’
One post shared by a group administrator revealed that four bodies had been found inside the home during the search.
‘I am so sorry to report that 4 bodies have been found (not identified) in Celebration, Florida, today. Tony is in the hospital. We have no further details and we will update you when we know more. Please pray for the family,’ she wrote.
A separate post the Facebook group’s administrator cited News 3 saying that law enforcement had previously attempted to contact individuals at the home for several days.
Osceola County Sheriff Russell Gibson said the death investigation was launched after authorities arrived to the home.
‘This is an isolated incident, and all parties involved with this death investigation are accounted for,’ he told reporters.
The owner of the Celebration home rented by the Todts filed a eviction notice against them on December 22, 2019.
The reasons for the eviction are not clear.
Pictured: a residential eviction document filed on December 22 against Anthony and Megan Todt at the home address in Celebration, Flordia
First Selectman’s Office Town of Colchester said the news of death search was ‘shocking’ and ‘thoughts and prayers of our entire community are with the relatives and friends of the family involved’
Marcelo Rodriguez, a neighbor, said he saw authorities approach the home in question with guns drawn.
‘I saw a lot of police with guns in their hand saying open the door, open the door and a few minutes later I saw the guy on the porch with handcuff and I said something bad happened over there,’ he told WESH.
Although authorities have not revealed the identities of the deceased, the First Selectman’s Office Town of Colchester said the news was ‘shocking’.
‘The news reports out of Celebration, Florida regarding a Colchester family are shocking and heartbreaking. While there is much we do not know at this time, I know that the thoughts and prayers of our entire community are with the relatives and friends of the family involved,’ they wrote.
‘We can’t always make sense of moments like this but we can support each other. Colchester proves every day the power of community and the importance of being kind. I know we will stand together as we help each other to work through this moment.’