Former probation officer allegedly strangled wife of 17 years in 2025, tossed body in hotel dumpster, court docs say
KINGDOM CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A homicide investigation is underway in Kingdom City.
Lt. Curtis Hall with the Callaway County Sheriff's Office confirmed Monday that an arrest was made in connection with the investigation.
Jonathan G. Houston, 44, was booked into the Callaway County Jail on Sunday night on suspicion of two first-degree murder charges and two first-degree kidnapping charges. Callaway County Prosecutor Sandra Colhour confirmed to ABC 17 News on Monday afternoon that those same charges were filed against Houston.
Court documents describe Houston as a former probation and parole officer and former corrections officer.
The probable cause statement says a girl called dispatchers at 10:27 a.m. Sunday by a female who was whispering and claimed she needed help after her father “captured them and siblings for five years.”
When deputies arrived and met with Houston, he allegedly allowed authorities to search his room at the hotel. One of the victims made a “hand signal” to deputies indicating they wanted to speak, court documents say.
That victim claimed Houston killed their mother in late 2025. Another one of the children allegedly told law enforcement that Houston told them of a plan to kill their mother the day before he did it, court documents say. That child told deputies they saw Houston kill the mother, the statement says.
That victim told deputies that Houston then wrapped the woman in “exercise bands,” put her in a trash bag and tossed her out in a dumpster at the hotel, according to the probable cause statement.
Houston allegedly admitted to authorities that he killed his wife of 17 years because he was “worried that he was going to lose his kids,” court documents say. He admitted to the attack, telling the children his plan before and then using a dolly to transport the body to a dumpster, the statement says.
Hall confirmed an arrest was made Sunday in the case after a 911 call, and the sheriff's office was awaiting the filing of charges Monday morning.
A social media post from the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office says a 911 call was made at 10:27 a.m. Sunday to the Baymont Inn and Suites in Kingdom City.
Seven children were found with Houston when deputies arrested him. The sheriff’s office says “, deputies developed information indicating that a woman had been killed approximately 10 months earlier at the hotel.”
No charges were publicly visible in the CaseNet online court record system. Officials have not confirmed the name of the victim.
