CELEBRATION, Fla. – A man killed his wife, their three children and the family dog at their Celebration home in late December, according to the Osceola County sheriff.
Deputies said the bodies of 42-year-old Megan Todt, 11-year-old Tyler Todt, 13-year-old Alek Todt, 4-year-old Zoe Todt and Breezy the dog were found Monday morning inside the home on Reserve Place as authorities were attempting to serve a federal arrest warrant for Anthony Todt.
Anthony Todt was being investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services for a matter unrelated to the deaths.
News 6 also confirmed the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General had opened a False Claims Act investigation into Anthony Todt, but a spokesperson could not provide further details.
Sheriff Russ Gibson said Anthony Todt confessed to killing his family but at this point, authorities have not provided information on how they died. They’re believed to have been killed in late December.
On Dec. 29, a relative of the Todt family requested that a well-being check be conducted at the Celebration home because the family had not been heard from in several days after Anthony Todt claimed they all had the flu.
[RELATED: What is Celebration: The history of a community developed by Disney | 4 bodies found in Celebration home; suspect in custody | Osceola deputies remain tight-lipped about 4 bodies found in Celebration home]
Deputies said they went to the home at that time, looked around and spoke to neighbors but they didn’t notice anything suspicious so they left without making contact with anyone from the family. It’s possible that the family had already been killed by that point, according to Gibson.
Anthony Todt had a physical therapy practice in Connecticut and would travel between there and Florida so it wasn’t unusual for the home in Celebration to be unoccupied, authorities said.
“If there’s nothing noted suspicious there wouldn’t be a reason to go back to the house to check on someone that may, you know, have the flu or they just haven’t heard from them in a couple days,” Gibson said.
Photos of the family were widely circulated online as members of the community grew concerned for their safety.
[READ: Here’s why the man accused of killing his family in Celebration is facing federal charges]
On Jan. 9, Gibson said the Sheriff’s Office was contacted by federal agents who requested help in serving an arrest warrant related to health care fraud. Attempts were made over the weekend to take Anthony Todt into custody but they weren’t able to make contact with him until Monday morning.
After he was secured, deputies said they conducted a safety check of the home and that’s when they found the bodies.
Gibson didn’t know why Anthony Todt allegedly killed his family, although the suspect is cooperating with the investigation. Their deaths have been ruled as homicides.
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of these decedents. Three children and a mother have lost their lives at the hands of a husband and supposed father—and their dog. This is despicable and cannot be tolerated anywhere in the United States of America, let alone Osceola County, Florida and that’s why we will work tirelessly," Gibson said.
Anthony Todt was taken from the crime scene to a hospital because he made comments to authorities about taking allergy pills, possibly in an attempt to harm himself. He was released from the hospital Wednesday and booked into the Osceola County Jail.
Anthony Todt remained silent as deputies escorted him from the sheriff’s office to a patrol car, which took him to the jail.
He’s facing four counts of first-degree murder and an animal cruelty charge.
Todt is expected to face a judge for an initial appearance on Thursday.