An apparent murder-suicide was discovered after authorities checked on a student’s parents after they failed to pick up their child.
The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man were discovered in a home located on Bankside Drive in southwest Houston on November 14, as reported by KHOU 11.
Officers from the Houston ISD Police Department had gone to the residence at approximately 8 p.m. after the parents had not picked up their 8-year-old child from school.
Upon arrival at the home, officers noticed something that alerted them to a dangerous situation, leading them to enter the house. Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department spoke to reporters about what they found.
“Once they got in the house, they found an adult female deceased from apparent blunt trauma, and they found a male that [appeared] to be deceased from self-hanging,” Crowson said, according to KHOU 11.
The female victim was discovered in the dining room, while the male was found in the game room.
Although the preliminary findings indicate that a murder-suicide took place, a more thorough investigation by Houston homicide detectives is in progress. The identities of the deceased persons have not yet been made public.
Child Protective Services has taken the child into its care until the next of kin are located.
October marked Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which has been observed nationally since 1987. In Dallas, data from the Texas Council on Family Violence found that 64.5% of all victims of family violence seeking shelter are turned away due to lack of space.
Meanwhile, there have been 12,104 family violence crimes committed in Dallas year to date, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. The vast majority of the offenses are assaults, clocking in at 11,783 incidents.
The Dallas Police Department has been struggling to get crime under control in recent years. It has been significantly short-staffed, fielding fewer than 3,200 officers when a City analysis advises at least 4,000 are necessary to properly maintain public safety.
The growing murder rate — which has risen by 14% year over year — is a testament to the department’s need for additional officers, as covered by The Dallas Express.