Little Elm police say the arrest of Christopher Charles Sanders comes in connection with the search for Molly Richards, who was last seen in November 2025.
DENTON COUNTY, Texas — A man is in police custody and is alleged to have killed his girlfriend and buried her body in another state, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WFAA.
The affidavit, from Little Elm police, reads that authorities started an investigation after the father of Molly Richards called concerned about not hearing from his daughter since November 2025, and that her boyfriend, Christopher Charles Sanders, wasn’t being responsive to questions he asked about her. Richards’ father, Steven, told police that Molly began to live with Sanders at a home in Little Elm in late October 2025, the affidavit states.
Steven Richards told police he last saw Molly in November 2025 and that she had previously expressed that Sanders had been abusive to her. He told police that she sent him a text message saying she and Sanders would be traveling to South Dakota in November. The affidavit states that the last text message he got from Molly was on Dec. 1, saying she was checking herself into a mental health facility for her bipolar disorder.
The affidavit goes on to state that after the Dec. 1 text, Molly’s father texted Sanders multiple times for any updates on her whereabouts.
“Went by your place. Where is Molly anyway?” Steven texts to Sanders in a Dec. 15 message. “There was no answer at the door, and I didn’t see her car. I am worried about Molly. Can you tell me where she is and how she is doing?” Sanders didn’t respond.
According to the affidavit, police began investigating Sanders’ ties to South Dakota and soon learned that Molly’s vehicle was involved in a minor accident in Deadwood, South Dakota. Police were able to contact a witness who was friends with Sanders and was watching over Molly’s vehicle at the time. The witness told police that Sanders was renting a home next to his and that he met Molly at a bar with Sanders in November 2025.
The witness told police that Sanders asked him to watch over Molly’s vehicle so Sanders could take her to see a doctor in Rapid City, South Dakota, the affidavit reads. He told police that Sanders left his vehicle at a hotel and flew back to Texas but returned a week later to pick up his car, and left Molly’s car with the witness. The witness further told police that Sanders said Molly met a guy in Deadwood and wanted to stay with the man at a motel in Rapid City.
Little Elm police wrote that they contacted several motels, facilities, hotels, hospitals, and mental health facilities in that area to see if they had checked in or seen Molly, but none had. The affidavit reads that police were able to get a search warrant for Molly’s car, to which they noted a strong smell of cleaning products within.
On Feb. 19, the affidavit states, Molly’s phone was reactivated and was pinged back to Denton near Christopher Sanders’ home.
On Feb. 24, a woman who was watching over Sanders’ dogs at his South Dakota home found several items which belonged to Molly Richards, including a driver’s license, bank and credit cards, a laptop, and some unopened mail.
After this, police wrote that they began surveilling Sanders and eventually executed two search warrants for properties he owned in Denton and Little Elm. The affidavit states they found bedding with blood residue on it, a Lowe’s receipt for the purchase of a 24-inch Bow Saw, 10 five-gallon buckets, a Kobalt Tamper, a Reciprocating saw, gloves, unopened mail, prescription drugs made out to Molly, and documents with both Sanders and Molly’s signatures.
On March 7, according to the affidavit, police arrested Christopher Sanders in Marietta, Oklahoma, as he was traveling from South Dakota. Police say Sanders denied killing Molly Richards and wouldn’t provide any details on where she was or where her phone and items were.
The affidavit says that police have yet to locate Molly’s remains, and the investigation remains a missing persons case. However, they believe that Sanders did kill and bury Molly’s remains in Oklahoma.
Sanders is currently in the Denton County jail.