Victim in Callaway County hotel homicide case named by sheriff’s office

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Callaway County Sheriff’s Office has named the victim in a homicide case.

Aunika Houston, 37, was named the victim in the case involving the recent arrest at the Baymont Inn and Suites in Kingdom City.

Jonathan Guthrie Houston, 44, is charged in Callaway County with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. He is being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond.

Houston is accused of killing his wife of 17 years in late 2025. He allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he killed the woman after one of his children called authorities on Sunday. He allegedly dumped the woman's body in a dumpster after killing her, court documents claim.

The sheriff’s office says Aunika Houston was originally from the state of California and had lived in Mid-Missouri for the “past several years.”

Jonathan Houston has a hearing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

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