Disaster Incest Suspect Accused of Impregnating Daughter Kills Her and Their Infant Son in Murder-Suicide

http://people.com/crime/father-incest-biological-daughter-kills-3-murder-suicide/

Authorities say Steven Pladl, a 42-year-old accused of having a child with his 20-year-old daughter, killed their infant son and then her and her adoptive father earlier this week. Finally, he killed himself.

The apparent murder-suicide comes only months after the case was first brought to light.

In January, Pladl was arrested for allegedly impregnating his biological daughter, Katie Pladl, whom he placed for adoption decades ago, when she was a baby. They reunited two years ago.

According to warrants obtained by PEOPLE, Pladl’s ex-wife — Katie’s biological mother — first notified police of the possible relationship last May. She had read an entry in one of Katie’s journals in which the girl discussed being pregnant with her biological father’s love child.

Steven and his wife placed Katie for adoption when he was 22 and she was 17. The couple stayed together until divorcing last summer, according to court records.

When Katie turned 18 in 2016, she tracked her birth father down through social media.

The ex-wife told police she believed Steven psychologically manipulated Katie.

Katie and Steven married in July and in September welcomed a baby boy in Virginia before moving to North Carolina, where they were arrested, according to CBS News. In addition to incest and adultery, Katie and Steven were both charged with contributing to delinquency.

On Thursday morning, police in Knightdale, North Carolina, responded to a call from Steven’s mother requesting a welfare check on her young grandson, Bennett, Police Chief Lawrence Capps said at a news conference on Thursday.

The night before, Steven had picked Bennett up from his mother, who had custody of the boy, Capps said.

The grandma became worried for Bennett after an alarming phone conversation with Steven, though Capps declined to go into detail, citing the ongoing investigation.

Upon arrival at the home Katie and Steven had shared before their arrests, authorities discovered their son deceased and alone, Capps said.

A cause of death has not been released.

Later Thursday, Katie was declared the victim of a double homicide in New Milford, Connecticut, Capps said. She was slain alongside her adoptive dad, 56-year-old Anthony Busco.

Authorities believe Steven killed his son before driving to Connecticut to kill Katie, Busco and then himself in Dover, New York, Capps said. According to local reports, all three had been fatally shot.

“We’re trying to make sense of all the factors that led up to this senseless taking of a life,” Capps said of the child’s death, calling it “tragic.”

In February, Steven posted his court-mandated bond in his incest case but was required to stay in Virginia and away from Katie until trial. However a month later, a judge allowed Steven to amend his bond and travel to North Carolina, according to local station WTVR.

Katie was also released in February on the condition that she live with her adoptive parents in New York, WTVR reports. However, she was allowed to travel out of state.

 

[Mariposa Electrique]

A photo of the happy couple.

LINK

Now, forever this couple shall be known as a bad joke on the Simpsons.

This makes me sad, her parents obvious gave her up for a damn reason.

 

[IV 445]

I’m gonna be honest, I may have read the title as “insect” doing all this and thought “what the actual hell”

 

[The Demon]

I’m gonna be honest, I may have read the title as “insect” doing all this and thought “what the actual hell”

that's probably an extremely common thing in the insect world

 

[8777BB5]

To paraphrase my College Science Professor "If you're going to do your daughter, do her in the butt"

 

[The Great Chandler]

"(not a joke)"
I wish.

 

[Dysnomia]

I remember these two. It looks like Katie broke up with dear old dad and he snapped.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report...used-incest-couple-linked-to-ct-ny-shootings/

Capps said it was Steven Pladl's mother who called police Thursday morning and requested the welfare check. Capps said Steven Pladl had been living at the Knightdale residence where the boy was found dead, and that his mother had been living with the child in another home in the community while the incest case was pending trial in Virginia.

The mother said Steven Pladl had picked the child up from her Wednesday night. She police when she requested the welfare check that she was concerned over comments her son had just made to her on the phone.

In that 911 call, obtained by WNCN, Steven's mother told the dispatcher her son said he had killed the baby.

"He left the baby dead," the caller said. "He told me to call the police and I shouldn't go over there."

The caller then said Steven admitted to killing his wife and her adoptive father, the station reports.

"His wife broke up with him yesterday over the phone," Steven's mother said in a 911 recording. "She's in New York and he told me he was on his way and after bringing the baby to her and then he was coming back."

Capps said it was his understanding Steven Pladl drove to the New York area "for the specific purpose of making some confrontations."

He said his department has been working throughout the day with multiple jurisdictions in Connecticut and New York to try to piece together a motive and timeline of events.

 

[Diana Moon Glampers]

This seems like pretty much the worst case scenario when a mother decides to adopt a baby, feeling full of hope for its future. The daughter you adopt grows up to end up exploited and abused by her biological father, who ends up killing your husband, your daughter, and your grandson.

 

[Viridian]

What a horrifying situation. The only silver lining is the fact the father offed himself as well, so taxpayers won't have to pay to prosecute him and then execute him for all of his disgusting crimes.

I want to know how a father and daughter could get married in the first place. Did they use fraudulent documents? Was it technically legal since she'd been given up for adoption? How did their family members tolerate this relationship and not report it sooner? Sounds like both families (biological and adoptive) were pretty fucked up...

 

[m0rnutz]

My concern is it wasn't a willing death. Look at those eyes.

 

[aqua sama]

I have to be honest, they don't look like your average redneck incest couple.

still, the father is obviously a huge piece of shit and a deviant. I'm glad he is dead.

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

In addition to incest and adultery, Katie and Steven were both charged with contributing to delinquency

Does this mean there are still parts of the country that charge adultery as a crime?

 

[ForgottenAcct]

21/50 states still have adultery as a criminal offense, apparently, but there's seldom prosecution for it according to Wikipedia. I imagine it's more of a thing used in divorce cases than independently prosecuted.

 

[robobobo]

She was pretty. Which is a little confusing given that hubby-dad looks like a hobo stabber; guess she takes more after her mother. Shame he went and killed all of them rather than just quietly offing himself.

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

21/50 states still have adultery as a criminal offense, apparently, but there's seldom prosecution for it according to Wikipedia. I imagine it's more of a thing used in divorce cases than independently prosecuted.

I don't know much about marriage/divorce law, I would assume adultery is covered by an array of civil precedent. But there was a time when adultery was prosecuted as a crime, maybe those laws just got jury-rigged into the marriage courts for lack of need to reinvent the wheel.

 

[Quijibo69]

Like he was that sane in the first place screwing your own daughter and having a kid. Got what was coming to them.

 

[usernames can change now!]

Of all the videogames to LARP, why choose CK2?

 

[chadmuska]

To paraphrase my College Science Professor "If you're going to do your daughter, do her in the butt"

I don't think Nick Bate can vouch for the effectiveness of that particular method