Investigators say evidence from Texas, Oklahoma and South Dakota led to a murder case without a recovered body.
DENTON, Texas — A 53-year-old North Texas man has been charged with murder in the disappearance of his girlfriend, a 31-year-old woman last heard from in November, after investigators said blood evidence, travel records and witness accounts pointed to a killing that crossed several states.
Christopher Sanders is being held in the Denton County Jail in the death of Molly Richards, whose remains have not been found. Police in Little Elm said the case began as a missing-person investigation and grew into a murder inquiry after officers traced Richards’ movements, searched homes tied to Sanders and collected evidence they said did not match the story he gave her family about mental health treatment and travel.
According to the arrest affidavit, Richards had been living with Sanders in Little Elm since October 2025. Her father became alarmed after he stopped hearing from her and after earlier messages in which she said Sanders had become physically abusive and controlling. Investigators said her last known contact came in late November, after she told family she was traveling to South Dakota. On Dec. 1, her father received what authorities described as a final message saying she was checking into a mental health facility for bipolar disorder. But as days passed, family members said they could not reach her, and police later found no record that she had checked into the facilities Sanders had described.
The affidavit says investigators uncovered evidence in stages. In January, a tip led police to believe Richards’ identification, bank cards and other belongings were at a South Dakota property connected to Sanders. A woman who was caring for Sanders’ dogs there later found several of Richards’ personal items in a dresser drawer, including her driver’s license, laptop, medication and unopened mail. Investigators said her laptop had not been used since Nov. 14 and her bank accounts showed no activity beyond recurring charges after November. Police wrote that the pattern was out of character for Richards and inconsistent with the idea that she had chosen to disappear on her own.
Searches in Texas added more pressure to the case. Officers executing warrants at properties tied to Sanders in Little Elm and Denton reported finding blood residue on bedding, according to the affidavit. A human-remains detection dog also alerted in a bedroom at the Little Elm home, investigators said. Police further reported finding a hardware store receipt listing items that included a 24-inch bow saw, multiple five-gallon buckets, a tamper, a reciprocating saw and gloves. The tools themselves were not recovered, and police have not publicly said whether any DNA testing or lab analysis has been completed on the blood evidence. Those details remain unclear as the criminal case moves forward.
Investigators said the timeline around Nov. 25 and Nov. 27 became central to the case. Authorities believe Richards was killed on or about Nov. 25. They later reconstructed the route of her vehicle and concluded it traveled through Oklahoma on the way to South Dakota on Nov. 27. The affidavit says investigators identified a one-hour, nine-minute gap when the vehicle was near Sanders’ property in Marietta, Oklahoma. Police believe that stretch may be when Richards’ body was disposed of before the drive north continued. Earlier television reporting also said officers were examining whether remains may have been left in Oklahoma, while another part of the warrant suggested burial in South Dakota was considered. Police have not announced a final determination, and no remains have been recovered.
Sanders was arrested March 7 in Marietta, Oklahoma, while authorities said he was traveling from South Dakota. He was first booked in Love County on a fugitive charge before being transferred to Denton County. Investigators said Sanders denied killing Richards and did not tell officers where she was. KXII reported court records described Richards as Sanders’ ex-girlfriend and said the killing may have happened during an argument, though police have not released a fuller account of what they believe happened inside the home. No trial date had been announced in the reporting available Tuesday, and the investigation remained active across agencies in Texas and Oklahoma.
Neighbors told reporters the arrest came as a shock. Jessica Martinez, who lives in Sanders’ Denton neighborhood, said she knew little about him before officers moved in earlier this month. Jaedy Smith, another neighbor, said the case left residents wondering what they may have missed. The comments added a local sense of disbelief to a case that already stretched from Denton County to rural Oklahoma and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Still, the central mystery remains unchanged: police say they have built a murder case, but Molly Richards has not been found.
As of Tuesday, Sanders remained jailed in Denton County and Richards’ body had not been recovered. The next milestone is likely a court appearance in Texas as investigators continue searches and prepare additional evidence for prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated March 31, 2026.