Husband charged with murder in Caton woman's death

A former Elmira Jackals hockey player is being charged with murder in connection with the death of his wife at their home in the Town of Caton.

Thomas Clayton was arraigned late Tuesday afternoon in Town of Caton Court on a charge of second degree murder. He pleaded not guilty and was sent to the Steuben County Jail without bail.

He is scheduled to return to Town of Caton Court at 9 a.m. Thursday for a preliminary hearing.

The Steuben County Sheriff's Office received a 9-1-1 call at 12:39 a.m. to a private residence on Ginnan Road, where they found Kelley Clayton, 35, unresponsive on the floor of her residence, the sheriff's office reported.

The 911 call was placed by a family member, according to Undersheriff Jim Allard.

Thomas S. and Kelley E. Clayton are listed as owners of the property at 2181 Ginnan Road on the 2013 Steuben County tax assessment rolls.

Investigators pursued about 70 leads throughout the day, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

Thomas Clayton, 37, a Binghamton native, played hockey for the Elmira Jackals from 2001-2006. He and his family were featured in a January 2014 Star-Gazette report on former Jackals who remained in the area.

Steuben County Child Protective Services was on the scene and the couple's two young children were taken to a safe location, Allard said. At his arraignment, five orders of protection were issued against Clayton for witnesses or other persons involved in the investigation.

Allard would not discuss a cause of death, but District Attorney Brooks Baker said there was blunt force trauma involved. Kelley Clayton's body was taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy, which was scheduled for Wednesday morning, Baker said.

Sheriff's office personnel and New York State Police investigated throughout the afternoon at the two-story, brown home on Ginnan Road. Police officers were congregated in a field, about a half of a football field away from the house around 1:15 p.m. and dogs could be heard barking nearby.

A half hour later, police were searching in a body of water. Two divers could be seen in the pond. They also searched a wooded area between the house and the pond, and along the side of Ginnan Road.

The area was blocked off with yellow tape that read "Crime Scene Do Not Enter." Several sheriff's office, New York State and Caton police cars were on the scene. Officers were looking for any forensic evidence that might be relevant to the case, Allard said.

The neighborhood is a wooded area, but there are other homes nearby.

Investigators are still pursuing several leads, according to the news release. Anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to contact the Steuben County Sheriff's Office at (607) 622-3911 and ask for Capt. Eric R. Tyner.

Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray. Kelly Gampel and Ray Finger contributed to this report.