New details have come to light in the violent stabbing incident that critically injured Denton County Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell and led to the death of her husband, Fred Mitchell.
Lewisville police responded at about 3:52 a.m. Monday morning to an emergency 911 call in the 1000 block of Springwood Drive. The dispatch operator reported hearing screaming and sounds of a struggle, and the caller reported there was someone in the home with a knife, according to the police affidavit.
Upon arriving, Patrol Officer Howard observed a white four-door vehicle in the street with the driver’s side door open and the lights still illuminated, and heard screaming from inside the house. She entered and observed the male suspect, later identified as 23-year-old Mitchell Blake Reinacher, standing in the hallway over the body of a man. The man was bleeding heavily from knife wounds to his chest.
Officer Howard handcuffed the suspect and removed him from the home before re-entering to render aid to the victims. Reinacher was cooperative and surrendered to police without incident, police said at a news conference later in the day.
The wounded man, identified as Fred Mitchell, was transported by Lewisville Fire Ambulance to Medical City in Lewisville, where he died from his injuries.
Officers located a second victim, identified as Bobbie Mitchell, inside the residence, and she also had stab wounds to the chest. She told the responding officer that her grandson, Reinacher, had broken into the home and stated that he was going to kill them. He then went to the kitchen and got a knife, and returned to the bedroom and began stabbing the victims, the affidavit states.
Bobbie Mitchell was transported to Medical City in Denton, where she underwent surgery for a knife wound to her heart.
The suspect was read his Miranda rights and did not make a statement to police.
The police affidavit notes that evidence of forced entry was observed at the front door, and a 6-inch serrated steak knife was recovered at the scene. The steak knife had blood on it, and the blade was bent at a 90-degree angle, which indicated that it had been wielded with a great amount of force, per the police report.
The Lewisville Police Department announced the following, in part, on Facebook on April 21:
The female victim has been identified as Bobbie J. Mitchell, Denton County Commissioner for Precinct 3. Commissioner Mitchell currently serves the Lewisville area and is a prominent public servant. She is a former Lewisville City Council member and was the city’s first Black mayor, elected in 1993. She held the office until her resignation in January 2000 to run for her current county position.
Commissioner Mitchell is listed in stable condition and is being treated for stab wounds. Commissioner Mitchell’s husband, Fred Mitchell, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased shortly after 5:00 a.m.
The suspect, Mitchell Blake Reinacher, the grandson of the victims, has been booked into the Lewisville jail and is presently charged with Murder and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. The crime scene remains active as LPD crime scene investigators and detectives continue processing evidence and working to determine the circumstances that led to the attack.
Reinacher had been residing at the Mitchells’ home since late 2024, but it is unclear what precipitated the attack.
Reinacher has been charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is currently being held in the Denton County jail on a $600,000 bond.