Left: Christopher Sanders (Little Elm Police Department). Right: Molly Richards (Little Elm Police Department).
In a chilling case unfolding in Texas, a man stands accused of murdering his girlfriend while misleading others about her whereabouts. The accused, Christopher Charles Sanders, 53, faces murder charges related to the disappearance of 31-year-old Molly Richards, according to Denton County jail records accessed by Law&Crime. The disturbing events trace back to October 2025.
Steven Richards, Molly’s father, reported to the Little Elm Police Department that his daughter had moved in with Sanders at a residence in Little Elm during October 2025. This information was detailed in an arrest affidavit reviewed by regional ABC affiliate WFAA. Molly had informed her father via text that she and Sanders planned to travel to South Dakota, and he last saw her in November of that year.
Concerns grew when Molly reportedly disclosed to her father that she was experiencing abuse at the hands of Sanders. On December 1, 2025, she sent her father a text indicating she was checking into a mental health facility due to her bipolar disorder. This was the last communication Steven Richards received from her, prompting him to seek information from Sanders about his daughter’s condition.
Steven Richards reached out to Sanders on December 15, expressing his anxiety over Molly’s wellbeing. “Went by your place. Where is Molly anyway?” he messaged, as reported by WFAA. “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?” Despite this urgent plea, Sanders allegedly remained silent.
“Went by your place. Where is Molly anyway?” Steven Richards asked Sanders in a Dec. 15 message, per WFAA. “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 allegedly did not reply.
Authorities began investigating Sanders’ connections to South Dakota, the affidavit states, learning that Molly Richards’ vehicle had crashed in Deadwood, South Dakota. A witness told investigators that Sanders asked him to care for her vehicle while Sanders took her to a doctor about 40 miles south of Deadwood in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Sanders reportedly left her vehicle there and took a flight back to Texas, telling the witness that Richards had met a guy in Deadwood and wanted to stay with him at a motel in Rapid City. When Little Elm investigators contacted motels and other facilities in the area, none had seen Richards.
When investigators found Richards’ car and were able to secure a search warrant for it, they said they noticed a strong smell of cleaning products. On Feb. 19, authorities learned that her phone pinged in Denton near Sanders’ home, and days later, a woman watching Sanders’ dogs allegedly found items belonging to Richards, including a driver’s license.
The Little Elm Police Department posted a “Missing Person” flyer on social media on Feb. 25, stating that Molly Richards was last seen in Little Elm — a city just north of Dallas — in November 2025. “She was reported to have possibly traveled to South Dakota and has not been seen or contacted since,” the flyer added.
When investigators carried out a search warrant on properties owned by Sanders, they reportedly found bedding with blood residue, a receipt for a 24-inch bow saw, and 10 five-gallon buckets. Investigators believe Sanders killed Richards on or around Nov. 25, 2025, The Independent reported.
Sanders was booked into jail on March 16. Richards’ remains have not been found.
