A troubled past with women, kids

According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and court documents and public records from King and Snohomish counties, Joel Zellmer over the past several years has been involved with numerous women, including several who accuse him of abusing their children. The Seattle Times is not printing the full names of women who were not contacted for this article.

April 1988-89: Zellmer and Danielle are married. It's unclear whether they had any children because their divorce file is sealed.

June 1990-91: Zellmer is married to Stacey, who has a 4-month-old son from a previous relationship. On Aug. 27, 1990, Zellmer purchases coverage on his car that awards up to $25,000 for each person injured in an accident with an uninsured motorist. On Sept. 18, 1990, Zellmer and his wife bring the baby to a Renton hospital after Zellmer claims his car had been rear-ended by a hit-and-run driver and the baby had been acting "irritable." Medical tests show nothing wrong with the child. Zellmer returns three days later and another set of X-rays shows the child's legs are fractured. On Sept. 26, Zellmer hires an attorney who demands payment of the $25,000. Zellmer drops the claim after his wife tells insurance investigators that he had staged the crash.

1994-98: Zellmer is married to Shelly Ahlquist. She claims he slapped her when she was pregnant. They have a son.

2000: Zellmer dates Kelly, who has an infant son from a previous relationship. In April 2000, Zellmer claims that her son, who couldn't walk, somehow got into the hot tub. Kelly finds him dripping wet and blue. The child recovers. In July 2000, Kelly leaves the boy at Zellmer's house; when she returns, the infant has blisters on his hands. Zellmer tells Kelly the child touched the glass doors on a lit fireplace. When Kelly takes the child to the doctor a few days later, she learns he has second-degree burns. Her relationship with Zellmer ends shortly thereafter.

2002: Zellmer is engaged to Michelle, who has a 4-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. During their engagement, he says he needs to get life insurance for Michelle and her daughter. In December 2002, Michelle comes home from work and is told by Zellmer that her daughter had fallen into the pool and he had pulled her out by the hair. The couple breaks up after the girl says Zellmer hit her.

Spring 2003: Zellmer dates Misty, who has a 3-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Though Zellmer proposes two weeks after they start dating, the couple break up after Zellmer discusses the possibility of getting life insurance for Misty and her daughter.

2003-04: Zellmer is married to Stacey Ferguson, who has a 3-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. On Dec. 3, 2003, Zellmer reports finding the girl floating in their family pool. The child, Ashley, never regains consciousness and dies two days later. Before the girl's death, Zellmer has Ferguson take out a $200,000 insurance policy on the toddler, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.

Seattle Times staff reporter Jennifer Sullivan and news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report.