Man charged with killing 72-year-old woman, cat, bird in Olathe home

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 40-year-old Olathe man has been charged with first-degree murder after a 72-year-old woman was found dead in a home Saturday evening.

According to court documents filed Tuesday, Brian Christopher Thode is facing three counts of criminal charges — one count of first-degree murder and two counts of cruelty to animals.

Count I said that Thode “unlawfully, feloniously, intentionally and with premeditation” killed Nancy Thode on Saturday, June 29 at the 1000 block of East Oakview Street.

Thode is charged in connection with the death of his 72-year-old mom, Nancy Thode. He is also accused of killing a bird and a cat. Nancy was found just before 6 p.m. Saturday and pronounced dead at the scene.

Counts II and III are based on animal cruelty charges. According to court documents, “unlawfully, knowingly, maliciously and feloniously” killed a cat and a bird in the home.

During his first appearance in court, the judge asked Thode if he had received a copy of his complaint and read through it. The judge also asked if Thode wanted him to read his complaint word for word. Thode said, “No, I read it. With my mental issues, I don’t understand why that happened.”

The judge explained that the facts of the case didn’t need to be discussed today during the first appearance, and the meeting continued.

Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said Brian lived with his mom, Nancy Thode, in an east Olathe neighborhood.

Another family member reported Nancy’s death to the Olathe Police Department.

FOX4 talked with one neighbor on Sunday.

“We’ve helped them with just a few things here and there, and Nancy used to come, and she would bring random gifts over to my kids and stuff like that,” A neighbor said. “We didn’t know their children as well. Their older son was living with them. So we saw him a little bit more, but he was pretty to himself.“

Thode’s bond is set at $3 million.

“Typically, what the courts will do is evaluate the risk of the individual based on the crime, their criminal history, and other factors that they use. Being that it’s a first-degree murder charge, it’s not uncommon for us to have that high of a bond for that serious of a charge,” Howe said.

Details about what led up to Nancy Thode’s death have not been released.

“The thing that I will say is that we’re seeing a growing trend where individuals suffering from some form of mental health issues are committing violent crimes,” Howe explained.

“And it’s just another testament to this ongoing growth in our community of people with serious mental health issues intersecting with the criminal justice system. It’s probably the biggest growth as far as the types of crimes that are occurring in our county.“

Thode is being held on a $3 million bond and will be back in court on July 17.

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