People Magazine has reportedly obtained court documents confirming that a 24-year-old Missouri man has been charged with the January 25 and 26 murders of a young couple and their daughter. He has been charged with three counts of murder, three counts of armed criminal violence, and two counts of child kidnapping. In Missouri, first-degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or death.
Two-day triple homicide
Drew Atchison, 24, allegedly confessed to stabbing 23-year old Samara Fontaine Kitts, and her boyfriend, Harley Michael Million, 24, inside their rural southeast Missouri home.
Atchison reportedly returned to the home the following day to kidnap and murder the couple’s 17-month-old daughter, Willa Fontaine Million.
The documents state that Atchison slit the throats of the adults on Thursday before dragging them outside, into the bed of Harley Million’s 2004 Chevrolet Silverado, leaving the child locked inside a room with the family’s dogs. The following morning, Atchison returned to the home to destroy evidence of the killings and took the toddler in her father’s truck to another location, neighboring Butler County.
Atchinson disposed of the bloody knife used in the killings in the woods, and hid the parents’ bodies underneath blankets and trash. After two attempts, Atchinson then reportedly fatally shot the child in the head, turning her away from himself.
He allegedly hid her body with her parents’ bodies.
The Williamsville man tried to hide Harley Million’s truck at a residence near his home by driving it under a carport and covering it with tarps. He also disposed of the truck’s registration, dumping it into the nearby Black River. The court documents do not disclose what connection Drew Atchison had with the victims and a motive for the murders remains unknown.
#US #Nation Missouri man charged in the killings of a toddler and her parents - Fox News https://t.co/XKWrKBI6ut #USNews pic.twitter.com/iYc1G3RiCb
— U.S.A. News (@US_NewsXP) 30 January 2018
Bodies found in neighboring town
On Monday, the bodies were found by Wayne County Sheriff Officers, not far from Highway JJ in Butler County, buried on privately-owned land, after concerned relatives informed the police that the family hadn’t been seen in a few days.
Investigators say that upon reaching the home, they found evidence of foul play.
The Wayne County deputies discovered the pickup truck belonging to the male victim, in a neighboring town. The truck was said to have blood stains on the bed. A relative of the family, in a statement to CBS affiliate KFVS, said that Kitts and Million, although not married, had just celebrated eight years together and were “amazing parents to Willa.” The couple was said to have been high school sweethearts. The statement added: “They both have large families who love them very much and a large circle of life-long friends.”
KFVS reports that Atchinson did not enter a plea when he appeared in court on Wednesday and it is not yet clear whether or not he has legal representation yet on the case as none is listed. His next court date was set for February 15.
