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Man Accused Of Killing Whole Family In Disney-Created Town While Under Fraud Investigation Held On No Bond
Anthony Todt allegedly admitted to police he killed his wife, Megan, their children, and the family dog.
The man accused of killing his entire family and their dog in a Disney-created town around Christmas made his first court appearance on Thursday afternoon.
Anthony Todt, 44, was separated from the other defendants being arraigned and put into a metal cage before standing before an Osceola County judge, Click Orlando reported. He stood quietly in an orange jumpsuit, his hands shackled behind his back, as the judge ordered him held without bond for four counts of first-degree murder and on $1,500 bond for an animal cruelty charge. The judge said probable cause was found to charge him on all counts.
His actual charges were not read aloud at his attorney’s request.
Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson announced at a Wednesday press conference that Todt allegedly admitted to killing his wife Megan, 42, and their children Alek, 13, Tyler, 11 and Zoey, 4, along with their dog Breezy, in late December. Four bodies were found at their home in Celebration, a Disney-created area, on Monday. Although investigators believe they are the Todt family, their bodies have not yet been officially identified. It's not clear yet exactly how the family was murdered.
Gibson said Todt had taken took a dosage of Benadryl pills and made comments about harming himself on Monday. He was taken to the hospital and released Wednesday morning.
The father was reportedly under federal investigation for possible insurance fraud at the time of the killings. Todt, who ran his own physical therapy practice along with his wife, allegedly billed insurance companies for physical therapy services he never performed, Click Orlando reports.
Their practice, Family Physical Therapy in Colchester, Connecticut, was raided in November and at that point Todt allegedly admitted to falsely billing Medicaid, saying neither his wife nor his employees were aware, CNN reports.
An eviction notice was recently filed in a Florida court for the home where the bodies were found, according to NBC Connecticut.
Anthony Todt's sister, Chrissy Caplet, released a statement obtained by CNN, saying that he and his wife “were devoted loving parents who loved their children and (their dog) Breezy every day and were so involved in their community. The families of Tony and Megan ask for privacy during this difficult time in our lives as we mourn the loss of our families."