Colorado mother accused of killing two of her children arrested in UK

A fugitive Colorado mother, accused of killing two of her young children amid a custody battle with her ex-husband, was arrested in the United Kingdom on Saturday, according to local authorities.

Kimberlee Singler was arrested “without incident” overseas more than a week after she allegedly killed her nine-year-old daughter Elianna “Ellie” Wentz and seven-year-old son, Aden Wentz, The New York Post reported quoting a statement by the Colorado Springs Police Department.

The statement added that she allegedly tried to kill her 11-year-old daughter.

Police discovered a grisly scene while responding to a burglary report around 12:30am on December 19 and found Singler and her oldest child injured and the two younger kids dead.

Singler and her 11-year-old were treated at the scene before they were taken to local hospitals. A week later, authorities issued an arrest warrant for the 35-year-old mother on murder charges after further investigation.

Singler had vanished before her arrest and had not been seen since December 23.

The children’s murders come as Singler and her ex-husband, Kevin Wentz, officially divorced in 2020 after splitting in 2018 and were engaged in a legal battle over parenting time and other issues, as per court filings.

Singler accused Wentz of unfounded child abuse allegations and requested a temporary protection order against him in El Paso County. 

She also accused him of pulling a knife on her, but the order was denied and he was not deemed a threat, according to local reports.

Singler was ordered to allow Wentz for the missed time with his children but failed to bring them to an exchange on December 16, resulting in an in-person conference hearing on December 20 with the three children.

A Larimer County judge had determined that Wentz should have full custody of the three children until a January 18, 2024 hearing, KRDO reported, citing court records.

Singler is facing four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree attempted murder, three counts of child abuse and one count of first-degree assault, police said.