Texas man accused of killing wife and daughter, hiding bodies in garage for 5 months
06/16/2023 10:09 am PDT
WISE COUNTY, Texas (TCD) -- Investigators discovered the bodies of a 42-year-old woman and her 11-year-old daughter inside an abandoned home after a relative contacted law enforcement to conduct a welfare check.
According to WFAA-TV, on Monday, June 12, Kimberly Kellam’s brother-in-law called the Wise County Sheriff’s Office and said he was worried about her because he had not spoken to her in six months. Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said the family did not report Kellam or her daughter missing because they were "scared to death" of 45-year-old Robert Morairity and were "afraid to say anything."
Deputies went to Morairity’s home on County Road 4371 and reportedly found it abandoned. They also learned the 11-year-old girl had not been in school in a year.
The Wise County Messenger reports investigators found Morairity in Dallas Tuesday, June 13, with a 10-year-old and 3-year-old. The Sheriff’s Office reportedly said in a news release Morairity "claimed he had not seen his wife or oldest daughter in six months. Eventually, he admitted his wife and 11-year-old daughter were deceased, and their remains were inside the garage."
Child Protective Services took custody of the children while Morairity returned to Wise County and reportedly showed detectives where he left the bodies. Akin told WFAA Kellam and her daughter "had been there for quite some time," most likely about five to six months.
According to Akin, "They were covered, and stowed away in the garage, but it wasn’t hard to find them. We don’t know exactly what the motive was, exactly how they were killed, but we know it was at his hand."
The Wise County Sheriff’s Office reportedly said in the news release that investigators "recovered two knives at the scene," but officials are still waiting on autopsy results.
Wise County records show Morairity was arrested on a charges of capital murder of a person under 10 years of age, murder, and tampering with evidence.
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