Aden Wentz, Kimberlee Singler, Ellie Wentz (pictures of children via GoFundMe; photo of suspect via Colorado Springs Police Department)
Colorado cops on New Year’s Eve announced a major development in the search for a 35-year-old mother of three suspected of murdering her two youngest children six days before Christmas and trying to make it appear as if a burglary was to blame.
The Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed to Law&Crime that Kimberlee Singler was arrested across the Atlantic Ocean — in the United Kingdom — 11 days after a 911 call led investigators to the bodies of her 7-year-old son Aden Wentz and 9-year-old daughter Elianna “Ellie” Wentz, both of whom were killed at home.
When Law&Crime reported on the murder case late last week, the Colorado Springs Police Department said it did not know where Singler had gone. That changed on Saturday.
“On December 30, 2023, 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,” police said. “No additional details can be shared regarding this case or Ms. Singler’s arrest at this time. More information will be released during a press conference that will be scheduled in the future when additional details can be shared.”
Though police would not say more about efforts to extradite Singler back to the United States, the defendant reportedly appeared in a London courtroom on New Year’s Day.
At the time her 11-year-old surviving daughter was injured and the young victim’s siblings were killed, Singler was in a legal fight with her ex-husband Kevin Wentz over custody of the children. She was expected to appear in court on Dec. 20, the day after the 911 call led cops to the gruesome homicide scene.
If and when Singler is hauled back to the U.S., she will have to contend with a $10,000,000 bond and allegations that a Dec. 19 911 call reporting a nonexistent burglary was her way of trying to misdirect homicide investigators.
“On Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at approximately 12:29 AM, The Colorado Springs Police Communication Center received a 911 call for a burglary in the 5300 block of Palomino Ranch Point. Officers arrived on the scene and observed an adult female and an 11-year-old female who had sustained injuries. Two other juveniles, a 9-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, were found deceased in the residence,” authorities said. “The adult female was identified as 35-year-old Kimberlee Singler, who is the mother of all three children in the residence.”
Both Singler and her 11-year-old daughter were taken to a hospital for treatment, cops added.
But investigators said they did not get a warrant until Dec. 26, which was three days after Singler was last seen.
While authorities have not yet specified just how the suspect made it to the UK and ended up under arrest, it is clear that Kimberlee Singler is in a world of extreme legal jeopardy — and the apparent attempt at fleeing may only add to the numerous charges she already faces.
The defendant has so far been accused of first-degree murder, criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder, felony child abuse, and first-degree assault.
After the heartbreaking deaths of Aiden and Ellie Wentz, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to “help the family cope with the loss of these children, and to help fund the survivors expenses as they move forward.”
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