An Indiana man has been charged with the death of his wife after he reported her missing last week.
The Gibson County Sheriff’s Office said that Daniel Keith Flaherty, 42, was arrested on Friday in connection with the disappearance of Kayla Flaherty, 36, but did not say what charges he faces.
Flaherty reported his wife missing on Thursday night shortly after 9 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
According to a probable cause statement obtained by Law&Crime, however, Flaherty has been charged with murder after he ultimately admitted hitting his wife with a hammer in their living room Thursday morning then putting her body into the couple’s 2019 Toyota Highlander, setting it afire, and rigging it “to drive into the Wabash River.”
Flaherty told investigators where he did this and investigators found a burned Toyota SUV in the river with human remains inside.
“A search of the vehicle on October 6th, 2024 located the remnants of Kayla Flaherty’s cell phone consistent with statements made by Daniel Flaherty as well as Kayla Flaherty’s identifying documents and property,” investigators wrote in the document.
When he reported his wife missing Thursday night, he said she had left their home early in the morning to drive to her mother’s home but never made it.
“Dan Flaherty advised that Kayla Flaherty will typically text him, and let him know of her arrival and she did not,” the affidavit said.
Kayla Flaherty also didn’t show up for her work at Good Samaritan Hospital and didn’t respond when her employer tried to contact her.
After investigators learned that Kayla Flaherty had recently filed for divorce, her husband admitted that she left the house after they had a “discussion about their relationship. ”
An initialy hearing was held Monday morning and both prosecutors and the defendant appeared via video. Flaherty entered a not guilty plea and requested a public defender, but the court denied that request after questioning him. Another hearing is set for October 16.
