Adam L. Price: Nebraska Father Arrested After 2 Young Kids Found Dead

Adam L. Price is a Nebraska man who has been arrested after the deaths of his two young children. Police said Price was taken into custody in California after his 5-year-old daughter, Emily Price, and 3-year-old son, Theodore Price, were found dead at his Bellevue home. Price and the kids’ mother, Mary Nielsen, are going through a divorce, she told the Omaha World-Herald.

Price is facing charges of felony child abuse resulting in death and authorities have said they are investigating the children’s deaths as homicides, KMTV reports. He was arrested in Pacifica, California, a day after the Bellevue Police Department said they were searching for him, authorities said. Price is being held without bail on a fugitive from justice warrant in California, online records show.

Nielsen told The Daily Beast she and Price were going through a bitter divorce and custody battle. “We were fighting for custody in court. I’ve spent every penny I have to try and get custody of my babies full time,” she told the news site.

Nielsen wrote on Facebook, “I’m so sorry to see you two go. You did not deserve this and I love you so very much. I would fight a thousand fights to have you back again. Heaven gained two beautiful angels and I hope great grandpa was at the gates to greet you. You were the only reasons I survived everything I did and the only reason I am alive. I love you. Til we meet again my sweet babies.”

Here’s what you need to know about Adam L. Price:

1. Police Have Released Few Details About the Deaths of Theodore & Emily

FacebookEmily and Theodore Price.

Police have not released many details about the deaths of Emily and Theodore Price, including how they died. According to a press release, officers from the Bellevue Police Department went to Price’s home on Alberta Avenue on Saturday evening, May 15, 2021, at 9:50 p.m. and the following morning at 8:59 a.m. to check the wellbeing of the kids and Price.

“Officers investigate during both calls for service but did not observe exigent circumstances that would allow them to force entry into the home,” police said in the press release. “On Sunday morning, May 16, 2021, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Bellevue Police and Fire Departments were dispatched back to the home, due to a male and female juvenile being found deceased.”

Police initially put out a statement saying Price was not located at the home and they asked the public for help in finding him, saying he was possibly driving a dark blue Mazda CX7 with Nebraska plates.

About 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, police said in a second press release that Price had been found in Pacifica, California, which is about a 25-hour drive from Bellevue. “Detectives are no longer searching for anyone else possibly involved in the case. However, anyone with information regarding the case is still asked to contact the Bellevue Police Department at 402-594-4111 or Sarpy County Crimestoppers at 402-592-STOP.”

Police spokesman Captain Andy Jashinske told the World-Herald, “At this point, we don’t know exactly what happened. It’s suspicious; we have two children who were located in a home with nobody around.”

Authorities have not said if they know when the children were killed. According to WOWT, a neighbor said the last time Price was seen was on Thursday putting out his trash, which is picked up on Mondays.

“I would see them out almost every day playing with their trucks and everything,” the neighbor, Patricia Otey, told the news station. “I saw them Wednesday out there playing and after Wednesday I never saw them. Never gave it a second thought that something was wrong with them.”

2. Nielsen Said on Facebook That She Had Been Unable to Get in Touch With Price, Despite a Court Order Requiring Contact

FacebookMary Nielsen with her children.

Nielsen, who had moved with her children back home to Illinois after she and Price separated, wrote on Facebook on May 15, “If anyone has heard from Adam or seen him or the kids … or seen him post on Facebook in the last 24 hours can you please let me know? He’s supposed to contact me every day when he has the kids per court order and I haven’t heard from him in two days.” Nielsen said the children were with Price for a week on a scheduled visit.

On Sunday, she wrote, “Unfortunately, the kids were found passed away at Adam’s house this morning. I’m heading out to Nebraska now.” Nielsen told the World-Herald she had talked to her son and daughter on a FaceTime video call Thursday night. She said, “They seemed happy; everything seemed OK.”

According to the newspaper, Nielsen called a friend Sunday morning and asked them to go to the house. The World-Herald wrote, “The friend found the door unlocked, walked inside and found the children dead, she said. The friend called police at 11:03 a.m., Jashinske said.”

On Facebook, Nielsen wrote, “I wish I could hold you one more time and tell you how much I love you. Rest easy my sweet babies.”

3. Price, an Illinois Native & Worked as a Graphic Designer, Was ‘Abusive, Controlling & Manipulative’ During His Relationship With Nielsen, She Said

Nielsen and Price had been married since 2016, according to their Facebook pages. WOWT reports that court records show Nielsen filed for divorce in December 2020. The news station wrote, ” Both sides had been arguing over custody, with joint custody awarded by a judge — requiring either parent to allow contact with the kids while in the care of the other.”

She told the World-Herald, “He was very abusive, controlling and manipulative toward me,” during their relationship. She told The Daily Beast that Sunday morning she ” had a bad feeling in my stomach.”

“Our old neighbor actually saw Adam packing up all his stuff Thursday night,” Nielsen told The Daily Beast. “It was kind of suspicious because he said he was going for a long weekend. The police said most of his clothes were gone. He took his personal computer but he had left his cell phone at the house.”

She wrote on Facebook, “I was supposed to go get an order of protection in the morning until they called me to let me know he was arrested. It was also a concern as he had told our daughter he was going to kill me.”

Like Nielsen, Price was an Illinois native. He grew up in Freeport and graduated from Aquin High School. According to his LinkedIn profile, Price attended Highland Community College and Illinois State University, graduating in 2008 with a graphic design degree.

Price worked in tech support for a financial services technology company and previously worked as a graphic designer and web design consultant.

4. He Will Be Extradited From California Back to Nebraska, Police Say

Police say Price will go through extradition proceedings in California and could voluntarily agree to be returned to Nebraska to face charges. He is currently being held by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office at the Maguire Correctional Facility.

Price is being held without bail on a fugitive warrant, online jail records show. It was not immediately clear if he has hired an attorney who could comment on his behalf. Price was scheduled to appear in San Mateo County court on May 18. The court is located in Redwood City.

“We have two young children a 3 and 5-year-old who are no longer with us and this is a very sad circumstance,” Jashinske told KETV.

5. A GoFundMe Has Been Set Up to Help Nielsen

FacebookEmily and Theodore Price.

Nielsen told the World-Herald about her children, “They were happy, sweet, loving,. My daughter was extremely smart, you wouldn’t know she just turned 5. My son was the typical little boy — jumping off things, playing with superheroes, fake fighting.” She told The Daily Beast Emily was “wise beyond her years,” who was “so bright and giving,” and Theodore, was a “mama’s boy, he just wanted to constantly be held and loved.”

A GoFundMe has been set up by her sister to help her with funeral and burial costs and other expenses. Nielsen told the World-Herald, “The support has been overwhelming, everyone reaching out. I’m just very thankful.”

“Today May 16th Mary got the call no mother ever wants to receive. Both of her babies were found deceased in the fathers home in Nebraska,” Nichole Nielsen wrote on the fundraising page. “Emi and Teddy were some of the sweetest most loving children and did not deserve to leave the earth this way. Not only does Mary have this burden but she now has 2 funeral expenses to cover. Please help me eliminate some of this stress in making sure she does not have to cover these costs. Any amount is greatly appreciated.”

Nichole Nielsen added in a Facebook post about Price, “I hope he suffers for eternity. Every single day for the rest of his life I hope he gets his. I’m so sorry Emi and Teddy. You didn’t deserve this. Your mother didn’t deserve this.”

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