Husband Accused of Beating Wife to Death with Hammer After She Filed for Divorce

The Indiana man called police to report his wife missing on Oct. 3. 

The next day, Daniel Keith Flaherty allegedly told police he had repeatedly struck his wife with a hammer in their living room, according to the affidavit for probable cause and corresponding exhibit obtained by PEOPLE. Then, he allegedly told authorities he’d placed her dead body in their Toyota Highlander, hid the vehicle behind a barn and waited for the couple’s two children to leave for school, according to the affidavit. 

After that, according to the affidavit, Flaherty said he drove to the Wabash River, where he lit the vehicle on fire and rigging it to auto-drive into the water.

Flaherty, 42, was charged with murder in connection with his wife’s death. He was booked into Gibson County Jail at 10:15 p.m. Oct. 4 and held without bond, according to his online inmate roster.

Just weeks earlier, his 36-year-old wife, Kayla Flaherty, had filed for divorce from the father of her children, ages 10 and 13, according to her petition for dissolution for marriage obtained by PEOPLE, in which she said the couple’s marriage had “suffered an irretrievable breakdown and should be dissolved at this time due to irreconcilable differences.”

Flaherty had not yet been served the divorce papers, Sgt. Roger Ballard said in the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, Flaherty told police that in the day leading up to his arrest, Kayla had left their house in Pakota, Ind., at 1:30 a.m. Oct. 3, and headed toward her mother’s home some 20 miles away. He claimed she had not texted him that she had arrived, as he said she usually did.

Law enforcement and volunteers searched her typical route, looking “for evidence of Kayla Flaherty’s disappearance, and nothing was found,” states the affidavit. 

Kayla had been scheduled to work at Good Samaritan hospital on Oct. 3. When her employer called her off work, she never responded, per the affidavit.

Flaherty told police that his wife left after a discussion about their relationship, per the affidavit. 

He later allegedly told police, per a corresponding exhibit to the affidavit, that during that final interaction he had “struck his wife in the head repeatedly with a hammer,” that Oct. 3 morning. He allegedly said that after dumping her body, he rode his bicycle back home before heading to Costco, Lowe’s, Home Depot and Meier for sodas, according to the exhibit.

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Ultimately, Flaherty directed law enforcement to the area where he had allegedly dumped her body, per the affidavit. Sgt. Ballard said he later found the burned-out vehicle with “human remains” inside.

Flaherty made his initial court appearance virtually and without a lawyer on Monday, Oct. 7, according to a hearing entry included in his case summary.

The judge found probable cause and entered a not guilty plea to the murder charge on behalf of Flaherty, who requested a public defender. After questioning Flaherty, the judge denied his request “at this time,” per the entry.

He is due back in Gibson County Superior Court for a status hearing slated for Oct. 16 at 9:00 a.m.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.