Corrections officer strangled his wife while forcing their children to join in

Published: 11:08 EDT, 12 October 2026 | Updated: 11:08 EDT, 12 October 2026

A former corrections officer has been accused of strangling his wife while forcing their eldest children to help him during the attack.

Jonathan G Houston, 44, was arrested last week and is now facing charges of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in connection with his wife Aunika Houston’s death last year.

Authorities said they first received a call on October 4 at 10.27am from one of Houston’s children, who was whispering on the phone as she said her father had held her and her six siblings captive for five years and physically abused them, according to court documents obtained from KRCG.

Detained: Jonathan G Houston, 44, was arrested last week

Police were then able to trace the call to Baymont Inn & Suites in Kingdom City, Missouri, where officers made contact with Houston and entered his hotel room.

There, they found seven children – one of whom allegedly told deputies that Houston had killed his wife 10 months earlier while they were in the room, KOMU reports.

Another child then allegedly told deputies how her father told her he planned to kill her mother, and said she witnessed her father strangling her mother.

Houston also allegedly directed one child to pour hot water down his wife’s legs while she was being strangled and had another child cover her mouth, the disturbing court documents claim.

Before committing the violent act, the father-of-seven is said to have put their three youngest children in the bathroom and played music to muffle Aunika’s screams.

Tragic: Family members remembered Aunika as ‘a beautiful soul that lived, loved and left an everlasting impact’

He then allegedly disposed of the body in a trash bag that was tossed into a dumpster on the hotel property.

Authorities said Aunika, 37, had never been reported missing before the children told deputies about her alleged murder.

But in an interview with police, Houston allegedly admitted to killing his wife and planning it ahead of time.

‘This seems to be an act of domestic violence, and it’s very unfortunate for everybody involved,’ said Curtis Hall, the chief deputy of the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office.

After receiving the devastating news, family members shared in a statement online that Aunika, born Aunika Rawls, always ‘brought her own unique light, beauty, strength and spirit into the lives of those blessed to know her.’

‘While our hearts are broken by her absence, we are comforted by the memories she leaves behind – the laughter, the love, the moments big and small and the lasting impact she made on family and friends,’ a family member shared on social media.

She then went on to call the mother-of-seven ‘a beautiful soul that lived, loved and left an everlasting impact.

‘We ask that you keep the Rawls family in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to grieve, remember and celebrate Aunika’s life and bring justice to her and her kids.’

Houston, who also previously served as a parole and probation officer, is also under prior investigations for sexual assault and the assault of other victims.

He remains locked up at Callaway County Jail without bond.