In April 2016, Tricia Todd, a 30-year-old Air Drive veteran and hospice nurse from Hobe Sound, Florida, went lacking after she didn’t come to select up her 2-year-old daughter, Religion, from a babysitter. This led to a large-scale search involving lots of of volunteers, helicopters, and bloodhounds by way of woods, parks, and seashores. Her automobile was parked at house with the keys left inside, however Todd and her telephone have been nowhere to be discovered.
The authorities didn’t have anybody in thoughts after they have been first investigating, however the case modified route when her former husband, Steven Williams, owned as much as killing her throughout an interrogation. He confessed to having killed her throughout a struggle, chopping the physique utilizing a chainsaw, dissolving a number of the elements in acid, after which hiding the items in a distant wildlife reserve referred to as Hungryland Protect. The explanation was as a result of variations over baby help and custody.
Williams introduced authorities to partial stays as a situation of his plea settlement. Viewers can watch the case in Investigation Discovery’s present The Tragedy of Tricia Todd, a particular aired on October 6, 2025, on the ID channel.
Background of Tricia Todd and Steven Williams
Tricia Todd was raised in Hobe Sound, Florida, one in all eight youngsters in a tight-knit household. She enlisted within the U.S. Air Drive following highschool, serving as a medic, and met Steven Williams whereas each have been youngsters at a close-by Christian academy. They each served within the Air Drive, marrying in 2005 in North Carolina, as per ABC Information.
Their baby, Religion, was born in 2014. Todd left the service to grow to be a nurse and labored at Treasure Coast Hospice, the place she was beloved by sufferers for her kindness. Their marriage was troubled, and Williams’ unfaithfulness resulted of their divorce early in 2016. Nonetheless, they remained in contact for co-parenting, with Todd holding major custody and Williams offering child support from his North Carolina residence, in response to ABC Information.
Tricia Todd recorded some particulars of their marriage in a personal journal, which later confirmed patterns of emotional and bodily pressure, though she tended to focus on good features reminiscent of faith and motherhood. Todd’s pals characterised her as adventurous and dedicated to her baby, usually taking seashore strolls.
Williams, a fellow Air Drive veteran, appeared cooperative at first however had a sample of controlling habits documented in investigations. The divorce was seemingly pleasant on the floor however was fraught with pressure over cash and custody points. This set the stage for the occasions in April 2016, when Todd disappeared whereas Williams was visiting Religion, in response to ABC Information.
The disappearance and preliminary search efforts
Steven Williams mentioned she left quickly afterward she visited, however Tricia Todd by no means got here house. The subsequent day, she didn’t arrive to gather Religion from the babysitter, which was not typical for her. Her household reported her missing after they found her automobile parked miserably at her house, with groceries sprawled out, lights on, and purse and keys nonetheless within the automobile.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Division initiated a large-scale search, together with marine patrols, helicopters, ATVs, and bloodhounds, to go looking hundreds of acres of state parks, seashores, and wooded trails that Todd used to frequent. Tons of of volunteers handed out flyers, and officers pored over hours of safety footage. Preliminary leads have been a sighting of a person seen strolling within the space, however no suspects turned up straight away, in response to ABC Information.
Tricia Todd’s telephone was gone, and her tank was nearly dry, fueling the thriller. The neighborhood got here collectively, holding prayer vigils, as her household pointed to her love of Religion and work.
Additionally Learn: The Tragedy of Tricia Todd on ID – Who was the killer of Tricia Todd and where is he now?
Investigation and key discoveries
Investigators from the Martin County Sheriff’s Workplace interviewed dozens of individuals, together with an area pastor Todd confided in throughout walks and a ventriloquist she briefly dated, however each have been cleared. Consideration turned to Steven Williams, the final individual to see her. He cooperated at first, passing a polygraph, however inconsistencies arose. Todd’s on-line journal revealed a historical past of abuse of their marriage, together with beatings and management, offering context to their relationship, as per ABC Information.
Williams returned to North Carolina with Religion, planning to hunt full custody. In late Might 2016, detectives confronted him there, resulting in a partial confession of an “unintended” killing throughout a cash argument. Flown again to Florida, he totally admitted to intentional homicide, presumably by strangulation or beating. Proof confirmed premeditation: he purchased acid, a chainsaw, and instruments beforehand, as per OSI.
As a part of a plea, he directed authorities to Hungryland Wildlife Protect, the place a hazmat crew recovered partial stays in an acid-filled plastic container, together with 9 tooth and dismemberment instruments. DNA confirmed the stays as Tricia Todd’s, although not all have been discovered. The Air Drive Workplace of Particular Investigations assisted however let native authorities lead. This breakthrough ended the month-long search, revealing the crime’s brutality, OSI reported.
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Authorized proceedings and household aftermath
Steven Williams was charged with second-degree homicide, proof tampering, and neglect of a kid, since Religion witnessed the episode. In June 2016, he pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for a 35-year sentence, escaping the dying penalty or life in jail by disclosing the situation of the physique. Sentenced in September of that 12 months, he’s being held at a Florida jail with an exit date in 2049, as per OSI.
Prosecutors later regretted the leniency of the deal upon studying the severity of the dismemberment and using acid, pointing to premeditation. Williams confessed in a jail interview that the motive was that he didn’t wish to pay baby help and achieve custody, affirming he strangled and beat Todd. Todd’s household, her mom Rebecca Hasselbach and brother Jonathan, forgave Williams publicly, as an alternative concentrating on therapeutic by way of religion.
Religion, 11, was taken in by Jonathan’s household. An account funds Religion’s future. Police mentioned the low crime price throughout the neighborhood made the incident shocking, however it highlighted the significance of vigilance in post-divorce conditions, in response to OSI.
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Edited by Somava
