A man has confessed after killing his wife, three children and their dog and lived with them for at least two weeks before police came to arrest him.
According to Dailymail, Anthony Todt, his wife of 20 years, Megan, and their children, Alex, Tyler and Zoe, were reported missing last week from the Disney-developed gated community of Celebration, located on the outskirts of Disney Hollywood Studios theme park.
Neighbors hadn't seen them since mid-December and relatives said they hadn't heard from them since January 6.
But cops say the physical therapist, 44, was replying to text messages from loved ones while living with their lifeless bodies for at least two weeks.
It has emerged that Todt owed $100,000 to creditors, was on the verge of eviction after falling behind on rent payments and was being investigated by federal agents for suspected Medicaid fraud related to his businesses in Connecticut.
He allegedly used the funds to make payments on more than 20 short-term, high-interest loans he took from various lenders behind his wife's back, which were separate from the $100,000.
The manner in which they died and where they were found in the home has not yet been made public. However, they are believed to have died 'sometime toward the end of December'.
Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson said Wednesday: 'I can tell you on December 29, 2019, our office received a request by a family member of Anthony Todt who resides outside of the State of Florida to check the well-being of the Todt family because she had been told they had the flu, and she had not heard from them for two days' .
He said authorities went to the home on Reserve Place but weren’t able to contact anyone inside.
However, it wasn't a concern as Todt, who owned practices in Connecticut, was known to travel during the week and fly back to Florida for weekends.
Cops 'did not observe anything suspicious' during the visit.
But they returned to the physical therapist's home on Monday - a day after a concerned neighbor called them.
They obtained a warrant to enter the property and found the family had been 'inside the home the entire time'.
'Deputies discovered four deceased individuals inside,' Sheriff Russ Gibson said.
Todt was arrested at gunpoint in front of shocked neighbors. Police added that Todt was taken to hospital after taking Benadryl and making comments about harming himself.
Todt was pictured Wednesday in a white jumpsuit after his release from hospital and while being transported to jail.
He was booked on four counts of premeditated murder and one count of animal cruelty.
The sheriff continued: 'The cause of death of the four decedents inside the home is homicide. Anthony has cooperated with the investigation, and he has confessed to killing his wife Megan Todt, 42 years of age…and their three children.'
He added: 'Anthony also killed their family dog, Breezy.'
Todt’s sister, Chrissy Caplet, released a statement to CNN that read: 'Tony and Megan were devoted loving parents who loved their children and Breezy every day and were so involved in their community. The families of Tony and Megan ask for privacy during this difficult time in our lives as we mourn the lose [sic] of our families.'
The Hartford Courant reported that Todt was being investigated by US Department of Health and Human services and the FBI since April 2019 over allegations of health care fraud.
According to an affidavit, Todt, who operated two physical therapy businesses in Connecticut - including Performance Edge Sports LLC and Family Physical Therapy - billed Medicaid for tens of thousands of dollars worth of bogus appointment.
Todt allegedly admitted to the fraud, telling investigators that he was living well above his means and claiming that his wife knew nothing of his debts.
Five patients of Todt's have come forward, accusing the physical therapist of billing Medicaid and private insurance companies for tens of thousands of dollars for treatments they never received.
In one case involving a young basketball player, Todt billed Medicaid for more than $24,000 in treatment he never performed, according to the affidavit.
The document recounted how the father-of-three billed Medicaid for therapy sessions even when his offices were closed, and how he inflated the frequency of treatments for patients when submitting his claims to insurance companies.
Todt reportedly admitted to the fraud during his interview with a government agent and said he wished to plead guilty.
The Todts had recently moved from Colchester, Connecticut, to Celebration, Florida. They had lived in Florida two years, and court documents show the couple was served with an eviction notice December 22.
A total of $6,300 was reportedly owed for December ($4,921) and January rents at the North Village home. The couple's one-year lease runs until the end of April 2020.
However, they owned another home 500 feet away on Longview Avenue.
Anthony obtained a physical therapy license in Connecticut in 1999, but the state says his credentials lapsed on September 9, 2019, after they were not renewed.
According to Family Physical Therapy's ebsite, Megan was a physical therapy instructor at the business. Both Anthony and Megan earned master's degrees in physical therapy and Megan was also a qualified yoga instructor.
Megan's licence was active until the end of January.
The landlords of that business office were in the process of eviction for the Middletown Road location last week, the Hartford Courant reports.
He owned $100,000 to two creditors, and two New York investment firms sued Todt in early 2019.
The suspect had agreed to fulfill payments to Green Capital Funding LLC by June 2018 and stopped sending any payment by December 2018.
He owed the company $63,525, including interest and attorney's fees on a $50,218 damage claim, according to the Norwich Bulletin. The company sued him January 24, 2019.
He stopped paying Business Merchant Funding in February then they sued him in March. He owed them $36,200.
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