Colo. Professor Called 911 Saying He’d Found Wife and Baby Dead. Then Police Found Blood on His Knuckles

Nicholas Myklebust allegedly claimed his wife had fallen from a ladder

A Colorado professor has been arrested after his wife and infant daughter died.

On Monday, July 29, Nicholas Myklebust, 44, called authorities around 7 a.m. to report that his wife was on the ground bleeding and their infant daughter was not breathing, according to a release from the Denver Police Department.

Upon arrival, officers noted that the adult woman "appeared to be suffering from blunt force injuries," and they transported her to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Authorities report that the child was found deceased "but with no visible injuries."

The Denver Post, citing an arrest affidavit, reports that Myklebust told police he found his wife and daughter after he awoke from sleeping on the couch. Myklebust allegedly claimed that his wife fell from a step ladder in the bathroom, but the press release states that the adult victim's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall."

Myklebust was interviewed by authorities, who allegedly noticed that he had bruising and blood on his knuckles and scratches on his neck, per the release.

Now, he has been arrested and is being held for investigation of one count of first-degree murder for the homicide of his wife.

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Myklebust worked as an English professor at Regis University in Denver, Co., though his page on the school’s website has since been removed.

PEOPLE reached out to the Denver District Attorney's Office to obtain a copy of the arrest affidavit, but a spokesperson said the case hadn't yet been formally filed.

The Denver Post, citing prosecutors, reports that authorities found a bloody glove in the trash and gloves in a dryer, which they believe suggests that someone had interfered with the crime scene.

The outlet also reports that the baby is the second infant to die in Myklebust’s care after a child died in 2021 after suffering skull fractures. A spokesperson for the Denver District Attorney’s Office told to The Denver Post that no changes were filed in that case.

The Denver Police Department said that the Office of the Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death for Myklebust’s wife and baby and formal charges will be determined by the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

The investigation is currently ongoing.

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