A mother fled the US after her children were found dead. Now she faces murder charges in Britain
Kimberlee Singler, 35, appeared at Westminister Magistrate’s court on New Year’s Day, charged with the murder of her two children, write Mike Bedigan
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A Colorado mother who is thought to have killed her children before fleeing the country is facing extradition back to the US following her arrest in the UK.
Kimberlee Singler, 35, appeared at Westminister Magistrate’s court on New Year’s Day, charged with the murder of her two children.
She also faces charges of attempted murder and child abuse. Here’s what we know:
What happened?
According to the Colorado Springs police department, officers responded to a 911 call at around 12.30am on Tuesday, 19 December following reports of a burglary.
After arriving on the scene they found Ms Singler and her 11-year-old daughter who had both sustained injuries.
A nine-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy were found deceased in the residence.
Ms Singler, 35, was initially treated as a victim in the case, and she and her daughter received treatment at the scene before being taken to hospital.
When did Ms Singler disappear?
A week later on 26 December, investigators established probable cause and obtained an arrest warrant for Ms Singler.
Though she had cooperated with them previously following the incident, she could not be located, and had last been seen on 23 December.
CSPD’s Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force began efforts to locate Ms Singler to apprehend her. Investigators surmised that she had fled the area.
Where was she found?
Ms Singler was arrested by the National Crime Agency’s national extradition unit in Kensington, west London, on 30 December.
She appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday facing extradition to the United States.
A spokesperson for Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed the news in a statement that read: "Kimberlee Singler was taken into custody in the United Kingdom without incident.
"Detectives with the Colorado Springs Police Department’s homicide unit continue to work closely with multiple law enforcement agencies in pursuing the ongoing investigation."
The department said more information would be released about the arrest at a news conference at a later date.
What is she charged with?
According to a police press release, Ms Singler faces four counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
CNN reported that the charges for each alleged crime were doubled due to the children being under the age of 12.
She is also charged with three counts of child abuse and one count of assault.
What was the alleged motive?
No official motive for the killings has been established by police.
Ms Singler was reportedly in the midst of a long-running legal dispute over the children with her ex-husband, Kevin Wentz, according to court records.
Records state that there is also an open case over neglect and child placement. Ms Singler was granted a temporary protection order from Mr Wentz this autumn, court records show, according to KKTV.
The most recent legal filing in the cases involving the children was filed the day after they were found dead.
Following the incident in December, an attorney for Mr Wentz said that the family was “in a tremendous amount of grief and shock”.
“The family is respectfully requesting that you honor their request for privacy at this time so they may grieve and gather more information as it becomes available,” the attorney said.