Former corrections officer accused of killing wife, forcing kids to help
Murder Arrested at Missouri Hotel After 911 Call from a Child
A former Missouri probation and parole officer was taken into custody on Sunday after a 911 call from one of his children led police to a scene of alleged domestic violence and murder. Jonathan G. Houston, 44, was arrested at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Kingdom City and is now charged with first‑degree murder and first‑degree kidnapping. He is being held without bond.
The call came from a girl who was staying at the hotel with her father and six siblings. “I was called ‘captured’ by my dad,” she told dispatchers, adding that the abuse had lasted for years. Deputies who responded to the emergency found the children at the hotel, where Houston had allegedly strangled his wife, Aunika C. Houston, 37, and left her body in a dumpster on the property.
According to court records, the killing took place about ten months earlier. Houston is accused of gripping his wife’s throat and forcing at least two of the children to participate in the assault—one to pour hot water down her legs and another to cover her mouth to muffle her screams. He allegedly locked the three youngest children in the bathroom and commanded the rest of the children in the room to play loud music to prevent anyone from hearing the victim’s pleas.
“Her body was placed in a trash bag and then thrown into a dumpster on the hotel’s property,” the documents show. Aunika Houston had not been reported missing and was not known to have left the hotel prior to the alleged murder.
The children were taken into protective custody and the hotel was searched for evidence. Investigators say Houston admitted to them that he had planned the killing in advance. “He told us he had been planning this for a long time,” a source familiar with the case said.
Callaway County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Curtis Hall told local media that “there is no danger to the community. This seems to be an act of domestic violence, and it’s very unfortunate for everybody involved.” He added, “At this point, we’re 48 hours afterwards on a crime that we’re already 10 months behind on.” He cautioned that the department would be careful about what details it releases.
Aunika Houston was originally from California and had lived in the Central Missouri area for several years. Her next of kin have been notified by the sheriff’s office.
In addition to the murder and kidnapping charges, Houston is under investigation for alleged sexual assault and other violent incidents involving additional victims, according to deputies.
The case is still developing, but the arrest marks the first major legal response to what officials say is a “very tragic domestic violence situation.” The investigation will continue as prosecutors assemble evidence for the upcoming court proceedings.