Indiana Man Reported His Wife Missing Then Confessed to Killing Her with a Hammer in the Couple's Home.

Daniel Keith Flaherty of Patoka, Indiana reported his wife missing when she failed to show up at her mother's house on October 3rd. At the time of the report, police had no clue that the same person making the report was also responsible for her disappearance.

Flaherty, 42, told police that his wife left their home in Patoka around 1:30am heading to her mother's house in Vincennes, Knox County, Indiana. Flaherty said that his wife would normally text him when she arrived but, he became concerned when she didn't.

When authorities went along the route that Kayla Flaherty normally took to her mother's home they found nothing out of the ordinary. According to Law & Crime, Flaherty allegedly gave information that his wife’s credit card was used at the Hucks Gas Station on 6th St. near U.S. Highway 41 in Vincennes, the city where her mother lives. A license plate reader captured her vehicle there at 11:50 p.m. on Oct. 2. Defendant Flaherty allegedly told an investigator that she had returned to the house after that time to, in the affidavit’s words, “bring a backpack.”

When investigators checked her cellphone history, they tracked her location within Gibson County, but there was no indication she was headed toward Vincennes, in neighboring Knox County, before her disappearance.

The couple’s 2019 Toyota Highlander had a feature for vehicle tracking, but when defendant Flaherty contacted the company to turn on the feature, they said they were unable to do so despite their attempts, authorities wrote.

Ultimately, defendant Flaherty on Friday told investigators with the sheriff and state police that he struck his wife multiple times with a hammer in their living room on Thursday morning.

“Daniel Flaherty admitted that he rigged the vehicle to drive into the Wabash River and set fire to the 2019 Highlander along with the body of Kayla Flaherty,” they wrote. “Daniel Flaherty further identified the location of the site via a map, and pointed out a location in far southwest Knox County, Indiana.”

Investigators checked out the spot, and found a burned Toyota SUV with human remains inside, they wrote.

“A search of the vehicle on October 6th, 2024 located the remnants of Kayla Flaherty’s cell phone consistent with statements made by Daniel Flaherty as well as Kayla Flaherty’s identifying documents and property,” they wrote.

Flaherty admitted to having a "discussion" about their relationship the evening Kayla was killed. Authorities say that his wife had recently filed for divorce but Flaherty hadn't been served with papers at the time.

Daniel Keith Flaherty, 42, is currently held without bond at the jail in Gibson County on a charge of murder.