The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Todt denied bail on charges of killing family
Anthony Todt, the Colchester man accused of killing his wife, three children and the family dog in Florida, appeared before a judge Thursday and was denied bail on the murder charges.
He was granted a public defender. Judge Margaret Schreiber is presiding over the case.
Todt, 44, was charged Wednesday by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Police confirmed during a Wednesday afternoon news conference that 42year-old Megan Todt, 13year-old Alek Todt, 11-yearold Tyler Todt and 4-yearold Zoe Todt were killed sometime in late December. The family’s dog, Breezy, was also killed.
“Anthony has cooperated with the investigation and he has confessed to killing his wife Megan Todt ... and their three children,” said Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson. “Anthony also killed their family dog, Breezy.”
The bodies were discovered Monday when deputies went to the Reserve Place home in Celebration, Fla., with federal agents to serve an arrest warrant for Anthony Todt from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Deputies made contact with Anthony (Todt) in the home with federal agents and he was immediately detained. A safety check of the home was conducted where deputies discovered four deceased individuals inside,” Gibson said.
Gibson wouldn’t say how the wife and children died, but said he wanted to wait until the coroner released definitive findings — “This is still very much an active investigation.”
Gibson said the Sheriff’s Office was still awaiting official identification of the bodies from the medical examiner but, given the circumstances and Todt’s confession, investigators are confident they are Anthony Todt’s wife and children.
Gibson said he was unsure whether Anthony Todt told investigators why he allegedly killed his family, but did say that Anthony Todt has been “cooperating with the investigation.”
Although the family had been living in Florida for about two years, Anthony Todt did not live in Florida full time.
Anthony Todt worked Monday through Friday at his physical therapy practice in Connecticut, then returned to Florida on the weekends.
Court records across three states made clear that he had been facing mounting financial pressure, and he is also currently the subject of both state and federal fraud investigations.
The federal arrest warrant for Todt was issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General for charges of health care fraud, according spokeswoman Tesia Williams.
Anthony Todt had been licensed to practice physical therapy in Connecticut since 1999, but his license had expired due to non-renewal at the end of September, according to Connecticut records.