Before late December 2019, the Todt family presented a happy picture. Wife Megan, 42, and her husband Tony, 44, were both physical therapists with a popular practice in Connecticut. Tony’s past contained a dark secret dating to childhood, but on Facebook they seemed the perfect family, posing with their three kids and dog Breezy in matching pajamas for Christmas and living part-time in a peaceful Florida community planned by the Disney Company.
It wasn’t long ago that Megan was writing about the kids’ piano recitals, and Tony was sharing things on Facebook like: “So many reasons to celebrate and be happy today. 8 years ago this beautiful soul came into our lives and would change our life forever. Happy 8th birthday to my oldest son Alek. You make us smile every day and make us proud of the person you are.”
The Florida-based Disney community is cheerfully called Celebration, but it’s there, authorities say, not far from Disney World, that Anthony Todt, for reasons that aren’t clear, decided to murder his entire family and take out the family dog besides. Authorities now say he stabbed his wife and two of the kids. As out-of-state family members grew increasingly concerned, authorities say Tony Todt told them the entire family had come down with the flu. He texted family members until January 6, 2020, when the communication abruptly stopped. Eventually, they took to social media to launch a desperate search for the “missing Todt family,” including Tony.
It turned out, authorities say, that he was in the home with the bodies all along. For days. When authorities found Tony, he’d ingested some pills and was threatening harm, but they took him to the hospital, where he survived to be charged with murder and animal cruelty. In mid December, there were five members of the Megan and Tony Todt family – six, counting the dog.
FacebookTodt family
Now there’s just one.
It was a chilling scene of deja vu for a man who, as a 4 year old boy back in Pennsylvania, had witnessed an attack in the family home against his mother, Loretta. Robert Todt, Tony’s dad and Loretta’s husband, was later convicted of getting a former high school student to shoot his wife in the face in a failed murder plot. Loretta lost an eye, but she survived. Her son changed bedrooms to escape the nightmares.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Sheriff Says Todt Wiped Out His Wife, Three Young Children & the Family Dog, Remaining in the House With the Bodies for Days
FacebookTony Todt with his kids.
For days, it appeared the Todt family was missing. Then, came a death investigation in Celebration, Florida, although authorities were cryptic about what they found. Then, the news leaked that they’d found four bodies. Finally, on January 15, 2020, the sheriff confirmed the identities of the victims.
They are Megan Todt and the couple’s three children: Alek Todt, 13; Tyler Todt, 11; and Zoe Todt, just 4.
“Deputies discovered four deceased individuals inside,” Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson said in a news conference. “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.”
“Anthony also killed their family dog, Breezy,” added the emotional sheriff.
Celebration is a Disney constructed town located near Disney World. As News.com.au put it, it was constructed to be “an alternative life in a world that was struggling to maintain family values. If you wanted to embrace a fantasy world, you wanted to live in Celebration.” The site says the town was a cross between “the set of the original Stepford Wives movie or The Truman Show.”
Megan Todt with her kids.
Anthony Todt was arrested on a warrant for multiple counts of homicide and one count of felony animal cruelty. “We strongly believe that they are Megan, Alex, Tyler, and Zoe,” the sheriff repeated, pausing emotionally when he read little Zoe’s date of birth out loud.
The deaths occurred towards the end of December 2019, he said. Thus, authorities believe Todt remained inside the home for days with the bodies, even texting worried family members. “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,” the sheriff said in the news conference. Authorities went to the home but weren’t able to contact anyone inside the home and “did not observe anything suspicious.”
The bodies were “inside the home the entire time,” said Gibson, who added that Tony Todt was taken to the hospital because he had taken “some pills” and made comments about self harm. He survived and has confessed to the crimes, the sheriff says.
2. Tony Todt Frequently Wrote About His Family on Facebook, Calling Megan His Soulmate & the Kids ‘Beautiful’
FacebookMegan Todt
The family pictures posted by Tony and his wife seem loving. There’s Tony Todt with his three kids and Breezy on bicycles. In 2016, he wrote, “So thankful for these beautiful souls in my life,” making his profile picture one of his wife and kids. Four years ago, he posted an idyllic picture of Megan with one of the children on a beach.
“How time flies. That was on our favorite beach right?” Megan wrote in the comment thread. “Siesta Key,” Tony responded.
He gave glimpses into his philosophies, sharing a post supporting law enforcement and sharing a meme of a man opening a car door for a woman that said, “Real men still do this.” Another graphic he shared read, “If this flag offends you, why are you here,” and was a share of the American flag.
In 2013, he wrote, “Thank you for all the birthday wishes and well wishes alike. I am truly blessed to have a life that I share with my true love and soul mate Meg and our two beautiful children. I am also blessed to have friends and acquaintances like you that bring a smile to my face and a warmth in my heart. I have to say this year hit me the most thus far as I now have a 7 year old!!! May all your lives be happy and full of love!!”
In 2014, he tagged Megan in a graphic that showed a woman with coffee and read, “Make time for you today.” She responded, “Tony don’t forget to do the same ?.” However, his more recent posts, if any existed, aren’t visible.
But the happy pictures obscured a terrible past.
3. Tony Todt Was Only 4 Years Old When His Father Was Convicted of Masterminding a Plot to Have His Mother Shot
Robert Todt
When Tony Todt was 4 years old, he told a detective he heard his mother scream and saw a man “wrestling with her on a bed,” the night Loretta Todt was shot in the face. She survived but lost an eye. Her husband, Robert Todt, a special education teacher and wrestling coach at a Pennsylvania high school, would later be convicted of hiring a former learning disabled student to pull the trigger.
It was a sensational case that generated piles of newspaper headlines in 1980. Today, Robert Todt, Tony Todt’s father, is still alive. In fact, he’s free, active on Facebook, remarried, and he maintains social media links with some members of the Todt family, but not Tony.
Tony’s mom, Loretta, made it through the horrific shooting attack, but she woke up to another nightmare: The court system said her husband was the mastermind. The convicted triggerman in Loretta’s shooting was John Chairmonte. A story in the Bucks County Courier Times in 2015 says that Chairmonte was convicted in the 1980 “failed murder for hire plot.”
Yearbook photoRobert Todt
In 2014, Chairmonte found himself back in court, accused of setting an arson fire to commit insurance fraud.
Chairmonte was 20 when he pleaded guilty to shooting Loretta Todt “in the eye” as part of the plot “orchestrated by her husband,” the newspaper reported. Loretta Todt lost her eye in the shooting. Chairmonte was Robert’s former student. The article says Chairmonte cut a deal to testify against Robert, so he got only four years, whereas Robert ended up with a conviction and prison term of 10-20 on attempted murder, criminal solicitation, and conspiracy charges. That sentence was later reduced.
A 1983 Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision gives further details of the case. “Robert Todt was arrested on July 25, 1980 and charged with offenses involving the shooting of his wife, Loretta Todt,” it says. “The case came to trial before the Honorable Edmund V. Ludwig and a jury and after a lengthy trial, Robert Todt was found guilty of attempted homicide, criminal conspiracy and criminal solicitation.”
The Todts had two children; the other, Christine, has been involved in the family’s Facebook group designed to help find the five family members who went missing. You can see a photo of Loretta and Robert Todt here.
Company headshotAnthony J. Todt
“Robert Todt was a board certified special education teacher employed as a high school teacher by the Bensalem Township School District,” the court documents say. “Todt lived in Levittown, Pennsylvania with his wife Loretta and their two children. In the late evening of March 19, 1980, while Robert Todt was out of the house, an individual entered the Todt residence and shot Loretta Todt. Although the bullet fired destroyed her left eye and remains lodged in her skull, Loretta Todt survived the attack.”
The court decision also says:
At trial, the Commonwealth’s most important witness was John Chairmonte. Chairmonte, a former student in Bensalem High School’s program for students with learning disabilities, was an alcohol and drug abuser with a criminal record. His involvement with the attack upon Loretta Todt was revealed after his arrest on an unrelated charge. John Chairmonte admitted that he shot Loretta Todt at Robert Todt’s behest. In exchange for testimony against Todt, Chairmonte was promised that his sentence for shooting Loretta Todt would not exceed five years to be served in the Bucks County Prison.
Chairmonte testified that in March of 1980 Robert Todt offered him $800 to kill a woman Todt described as a babysitter. Todt gave Chairmonte a .32 caliber pistol and some bullets. Three days before the shooting Todt went to Chairmonte’s home, woke him up and brought him to Todt’s home. Todt and Chairmonte then drove to Frankford Hospital, where Loretta Todt worked. As explained by Chairmonte, the plan was for him to surprise Loretta Todt as she entered her car after work, take her to a back road and shoot her. Chairmonte was, however, too frightened to carry out this scheme.
A new scheme was developed, and Todt gave Chairmonte a key to Todt’s house. On March 19, 1980, Chairmonte entered the Todt house through the garage, shot Loretta Todt and rifled several drawers to make it look as though a burglary had taken place.
The prosecutor said at trial, “Loretta Todt is stuck for as long as she lives with a bullet in the back of her brain. And that’s sad.”
Robert admitted he was having an extra-marital affair, according to the court documents, but he denied being involved in the shooting plot. “Todt denied hiring John Chairmonte to kill his wife Loretta. Todt admitted that he had gone to Chairmonte’s home and brought Chairmonte to his own house but insisted that he only helped Chairmonte fill out an application for a job,” the court decision says. Robert was with another woman – also a former student – who testified that she thought they were engaged to be married despite the fact he was married to Loretta.
According to a Sept. 8, 1981 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, police interviewed the Todts’ son, Anthony, then 4. “The boy said he woke up hearing his mother screaming.”
When he walked into the hallway, he said a “black man with a ‘T’ carved on his forehead picked the boy up and put him back in bed.” He saw another man “wrestling with Mommy on her bed.” The article describes the senior Todt as a “former special education teacher and wrestling coach at Bensalem High School.”
By 1981, the story said, Loretta had filed for divorce and “moved Anthony to another bedroom in hopes of stopping the nightmares.” However, it took a year. A December 1980 story in the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that, even when Todt was convicted, Loretta and the two children continued to live with him.
4. Authorities Haven’t Given a Motive for the Todt Family Murders But Tony’s Life as a Physical Therapist Was Unraveling
Megan Todt and her kids
Although the motive wasn’t released, Todt’s life was unraveling in several ways. His physical therapy license in Connecticut had expired, the family was facing a Florida eviction order, and he was under federal investigation by Connecticut officials.
Authorities now allege that Tony Todt was “fraudulently charging tens of thousands of dollars in fake physical therapy appointments,” according to Hartford Courant, which said he closed the practice in November.
“This is crazy! He’s my mom’s physical therapist. She has seen him like twice a week for YEARS,” wrote one shocked woman on Twitter.
Todt was under investigation. “The Office of the Attorney General can confirm we have an open False Claims Act investigation into Anthony Todt. Beyond that, we are unable to comment or provide further details,” the Connecticut AG’s office told journalist Ashley Afonso.
Court records show the complaint for eviction was filed against the couple on December 22, 2019 regarding the Celebration home. The case remained open. A summons was sent on December 26.
On LinkedIn, Tony Todt said he was the owner of Family Physical Therapy in Colchester and East Hampton Connecticut for more than 11 years. He listed no other employment. He wrote that he had an MSPT in Physical Therapy from Sacred Heart University. He is also affiliated with an LLC called Performance Edge Sports. However, his state license expired in September, and his wife’s was about to expire too.
The Facebook page for Family Physical Therapy describes it as the following: “At Family PT in CT, we use patient-centered approaches to focus on the whole individual, together, as a family. Our experienced clinicians will help you set and reach your goals – from improving daily tasks to training athletes. No matter the cause, we will create a plan that will ensure your success each time you walk through our door!”
The company’s website lists Megan as a physical therapist too.
Tony Todt’s biography on his website reads as follows:
“Anthony J. Todt, MSPT, CSCS, SAQ received his Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy 1999 from Sacred Heart University, which included rotations and internships in Home Care, Outpatient Physical Therapy, Wound Management, Acute Post Surgical Therapy, and Inpatient Rehabilitation. Anthony is licensed in California, Florida, and Connecticut and has had the fortune to further his Physical Therapy experience through experiences throughout the country and his involvement in rehabilitating professional athletes, progressive surgical procedures, and continues to improve his knowledge through continuing education in the same. After receiving his Master’s Degree, Anthony became a National Certified Sports and Conditioning Specialist and a NESTA Speed, Agility and Quickness Coach.”
The biography continues: “Before Family Physical Therapy, he also worked at Gaylord Rehabilitation Outpatient Facility where he gained extensive knowledge in Aquatic Therapy and Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation. He treats using knowledge in Integrative Manual Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Trigger Point Release, Muscle Energy Techniques, Mulligan and Mackenzie Techniques, Specialized Therapeutic Exercise, and Maitland manual therapy techniques. Anthony especially enjoys working with knee injuries, especially those of athletes. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family, coaching in the community, watching his clients’ athletic competitions, and being the fourth kid in his family of two sons and one daughter.”
5. For Days, Extended Family Members Were Searching for the ‘Missing Todt Family’
FacebookMegan Todt
Concerned family members created a Facebook page for the missing Todts called “Looking for the Todt Family.” They say that they last heard from the Todt family on January 6, 2020, via a text from Tony. Family posts indicated that the couple was from Colchester, Connecticut but was spending time in Celebration, Florida.
On the family’s Facebook page, Alicia Schmidt wrote, “Hi, we are looking for our family. We are seeking information on their last communications to others. Please let us know the last time you’ve heard from the Todt’s: Tony, Megan, and the kids. At this time, we are seeking information. Please do not message the family asking for details as it is a sensitive matter and we are just looking for Information. If you haven’t heard from them or don’t even know them, please help us by sharing the page.”
Chrissy Todt Caplet wrote on Facebook, “This is a very personal post but we are asking for your help. Please let me know the last time you have spoken to, texted or messaged my brother Tony, Meg or the kids. In due time we can explain but right now we are looking for them and are worried.”
A woman responded on the family’s page, “Hello, I recognize them from living right around the corner. I’d say the last time I saw them was around Thanksgiving time and they were all walking the dog as a family. I thought that they just went away for the holidays because their blinds are all closed and they still have their decorative pumpkins out in the yard. The wife seemed to be a very nice lady and they appeared to be a very nice family.”
Another wrote, “Tony and I coached our kids in soccer a couple seasons ago. Alek, Tyler and my daughter always play soccer and basketball together outside in our alley. They recently moved across the street from us. I saw them outside maybe a couple weeks ago. Love them all!!! So worried about them. Anything we can do please let me know.”