Robert A. Moriarty, aged 45, has been charged with tampering with a corpse, murder, and capital murder in relation to the deaths of his wife, Kimberly Kellam, aged 42, and their 11-year-old daughter, whose name has not been disclosed.
On June 12, around 8:30 a.m., Kellam’s brother-in-law contacted 911 to report that he had not seen his sister-in-law and niece for several months.
Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin stated that he wished they had been informed earlier, but the family members were too afraid to speak up. Akin said, “They were all scared to death of this guy, they were afraid to say anything.”
Based on the information provided by the brother-in-law about Kellam’s residence, deputies went to the home near Decatur. They conducted a search of the property and attempted to make contact, but no one was present, leading them to conclude that the property had been abandoned, WFAA reported.
Further investigation revealed that the daughter had not been enrolled in school since 2022. On June 13, around 6 p.m., investigators located Morairity in Dallas, accompanied by two of his children, aged 3 and 10.
Initially, Morairity claimed he hadn’t seen his wife or eldest daughter in six months. However, he eventually confessed that they were deceased and their remains were inside the garage of the previously searched home.
Accompanied by an investigator and a Texas Ranger, Morairity voluntarily returned to the residence and pointed out the location of his wife and daughter’s bodies.
Sheriff Akin disclosed that the bodies had been there for a considerable period, estimated to be around 5 to 6 months. Officials have not released the motive or specific details about the cause of death.
Morairity was taken into custody and booked into Wise County jail with a bond set at $800,000. Autopsies have been conducted on the bodies, while the couple’s other two children have been placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.
